Italian sketches

7

ITALIAN SKETCHES

OLD FLORENCE AND MODERN TUSCANY.

> ) > ,*,»>•

Italian Sketches

JANET ROSS

ILLUSTRATED BY CARLO OR SI

LONDON

KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH & CO., i, PATERNOSTER SQUARE

1887

c '

• ••••- *

» • * • » e •

y &

n>

{The rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved.}

PREFACE.

Several of the following sketches have already
been published, and I owe to the courtesy of
Messrs. Macmillan and Messrs. Longman the
permission to reprint them.*

Some will think my pictures of the Tuscan
peasants flattered and highly coloured. I can only
say that I have lived among them for eighteen
years, and that nowhere does the golden rule," Do
as you would be done by," hold good so much as
in Italy. We have not changed a servant since we
came to live here, and they take as much care of,
and as much pride in all that belongs to " us," as
they say, as if it was their own property. A noted
ne'er-do-well of the little village near by, who had
been in prison seventeen times for petty thefts, and

* "Old Florence and Modern Tuscany," "The Dove of Holy
Saturday," " Vintaging in Tuscany," "Oil-making in Tuscany,"
" The Baths of Casciana in July," " Tarentum," and " Leucaspide "
— Macmillan 's Magazine. " A September Day in the Valley of the
Arno" — English Illustrated Magazine. "Popular Songs of Tus-
cany " — Eraser's Magazine. " Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany "
— Longman's Magazine.

669782

vi Preface.

to whom I was helpful, came some time ago at
nightfall, desiring to see the " Signora " on im-
portant business. All Tuscans dearly love a small
mystery, but I found that my friend really had
grave tidings.

11 Brozzi, Peretola, e Campi
Son la peggio genia che Cristo stampi,"

(" Brozzi, Peretola, and Campi
Are the worst lot ever made by Christ,")

says the old proverb ; and the inhabitants of these
villages are famous for their thieving propensities.
My obligato (obliged one), as he calls himself,
came to tell me that a raid was intended on all the
henroosts of the country, and knowing that I valued
my Cochins and Brahmas, wanted to warn me and
the gamekeeper, adding that he should try and
prevent them from paying us a visit. Next
morning lamentation was general, for many had
lost their fowls. I escaped, but we invested in two
enormous Maremma sheep-dogs, whose fierceness
is proverbial.

I could tell other such stories ; for, as my mother
says in her " Letters from Egypt," I " sit among
the people," and do not " make myself big," a pro-
ceeding an Italian resents as much as an Arab.

JANET ROSS.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany ... ... i

The Dove of Holy Saturday ... ... ... 25

A September Day in the Valley of the Arno ... 35

Popular Songs of Tuscany ... ... ... 53

The Ghetto of Florence ... ... ... ... 87

vlntaging in tuscany ... ... ... ... ioi

Oil-making in Tuscany ... ... ... ... 113

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany ... ... 125

tommaso crudeli and the freemasons of florence

IN 1733 137

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre ... ... 153

The Baths of Casciana in July ... ... 171

La Gioconda ... ... ... ... ... 191

Tarentum ... ... ... ... ... 219

Leucaspide ... ... ... ... ... ... 241

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany ... Frontispiece

The Dove of Holy Saturday ... Tofacepage 25

The Badia a Settimo ... ... ... „ 35

Popular Songs of Tuscany ... ... ,, 53

The Ghetto ... ... ... ... ,, $7

The Vintage at the Tinaia ... ... „ 101

Oil-Making in Tuscany ... ... ,, 113

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany ... ,, 125

The Municipal Palace, Poppi ... ... ,, 137

San Gimignano ... ... ... ... ,, 153

The Baths of Casciana ... ... „ 171

La Gioconda ... ... ... ... ,, 191

Mare Piccolo, Tarentum ... ... ,, 219

Shepherd of Magna Gr^cia ... ... ,, 241

ITALIAN SKETCHES

OLD FLORENCE AND MODERN
TUSCANY.

" Florence within her ancient limit-mark,
Which calls her still to matin prayers and noon,
Was chaste and sober, and abode in peace.
She had no amulet, no head-tires then,
No purfled dames ; no zone, that caught the eye
More than the person did. Time was not yet,
When at his daughters' births the sire grew pale,
For fear the age and dowry should exceed,
On each side, just proportion. House was none,
Void of its family ; nor yet had come
Sardanapalus to exhibit feats
Of chamber prowess. Montemalo yet
O'er our suburban turret rose ; as much
To be surpast in fall, as in its rising.
I saw Bellincion Berti walk abroad
In leathern girdle, and a clasp of bone ;
And, with no artificial colouring on her cheeks,
His lady leave the glass. The sons I saw
Of Nerli, and of Vecchio, well content
With unrobed jerkin ; and their good dames handling
The spindle and the flax. Oh, happy they ! "

B

Italian Sketches.

Thus writes Dante, in the :f Paradise" about the sobriety
and simplicity of dress and manners in Florence of his
day ; and nearly a century later G. Villani writes :

"The citizens of Florence lived soberly, on coarse
viands and at small cost ; they were rude and unpolished
in many customs and courtesies of life, and dressed
themselves and their women in coarse cloth ; many wore
plain leather, without cloth over it; bonnets on their
heads; and all, boots on their feet. The Florentine
women were without ornament; the better sort being
content with a close gown of scarlet cloth of Ypres or of
camlet, tied with a girdle in the ancient mode, and a
mantle lined with fur, with a hood attached to be worn
on the head. The common sort of women were clad in
a coarse gown of cambrai in like fashion."

Things appear to have changed soon after this, as the
sage old Florentines drew up a series of sumptuary laws
in 14 1 5, directed against the luxury and splendour of
women's dress and of marriage festivals. They declared
that such magnificence was opposed to all republican
laws and usages, and only served to enervate and corrupt
the people. If a citizen of Florence wished to give an
entertainment in honour of a guest, he was obliged to
obtain a permit from the Priors of Liberty, for which he
paid ten golden florins, and had also to swear that such
splendour was only exhibited for the honour and glory of
the city. Whoever transgressed this law was fined

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 3

twenty-five golden florins. It was considered shameful
to have much plate ; nearly all household implements
were of brass, now and then beautified by having the
arms of the family in enamel upon them. These sump-
tuary laws were not confined to Florence. The town of
Pistoja enacted similar ones in 1322 ; Perugia in 1333.
Phillipe le Bel promulgated sumptuary laws in France
in 13 10; Charles IX. in 1575; and Louis XIII. in
1 6 14; but with no greater success than the worthy old
republicans.

Pandolfini, in his curious book, " Del Governo della
Famiglia," inveighs against the Florentine custom of
painting the face. In his counsels to his young wife,
Giovanna degli Strozzi, he says : —

"Avoid all those false appearances by which dishonest
and bad women try to allure men, thinking with oint-
ments, white lead and paint, with lascivious and immoral
dress, to please men better than when adorned with
simplicity and true honesty. Not only is this reprehen-
sible, but it is most unwholesome to corrupt the face with
lime, poisons, and so-called washes. See, oh, my wife,
how fresh and well-looking are all the women of this
house ! This is because they use only water from the
well as an ointment ; do thou likewise, and do not plaster
and whiten thy face, thinking to appear more beautiful in
my eyes. Thou art fresh and of a fine colour j think not
to please me by cheatery and showing thyself to me as

Italian Sketches.

thou art not, because I am not to be deceived; I see thee
at all hours, and well I know how thou art without paint."

The Florentine ladies appear to have held their own
against all these attempts to convert them to a simpler
mode of life. Sachetti gives an amusing instance of their
ready wit, while he was Prior of the Republic. A new
judge, Amerigo degli Amerighi, came from Pesaro, and
was specially ordered to see that the sumptuary laws were
obeyed ; he fell into disgrace for doing too little, and his
defence is as follows : —

" My masters, I have worked all my life at the study of
law, and now that I thought I knew something I find I
know nothing ; for trying to discover the forbidden orna-
ments worn by your women, according to the orders you
gave me, I have not found in any law-book arguments
such as they give. I will cite you some. I met a woman
with a border, all curiously ornamented and slashed,
turned over her hood ; the notary said to her, ' Give me
your name, for you have an embroidered border.' The
good woman takes off the border, which was attached to
her hood with a pin, and holding it in her hand, replies
that it is a garland. There are others who wear many
buttons down the front of their dresses ; I say to one,
' You may not wear those buttons/ and she answers, ■ Yes,
sir, I can, for these are not buttons, but coppelle, and if
you do not believe me, see, they have no haft, and there
are no buttonholes.' The notary goes up to a third, who

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 5

was wearing ermine, and says, 'How can you excuse
yourself, you are wearing ermine ? ' and begins to write the
accusation. The woman replies, ' No, do not write, for
this is not ermine, but lattizzo (fur of any young sucking
animal).' The notary asked, ' And what is this lattizzo ? '
And the woman's answer was, ' The man is a fool ! ' "

The widows seem to have given less trouble ; but they
always took care that their dresses should be well cut
and fit perfectly.

Philosophers, of course, wrote treatises on political
economy, and poets satirized the different fashions of
their times. Thus, in " Lodovico Adimari," we read : —

" The high-born dame now plasters all her cheeks
With paint by shovelfuls, and in curled rings
Or tortuous tresses twines her hair, and seeks
To shave with splintered glass the down that springs
On her smooth face and soft skin, till they seem
The fairest, tenderest of all tender things :
Rouge and vermilion make her red lips beam
Like rubies burning on the brow divine
Of heaven-descended Iris : jewels gleam
About her breasts, embroidered on the shrine
Of satins, silks, and velvets : like the snails,
A house in one dress on her back she trails." *

Cennino Cennini, a painter and pupil of Agnolo Gaddi,
the godson of Giotto, says, in his " Treatise on Painting " :

" It might be for the service of young ladies, more
especially those of Tuscany, to mention some colours
* Translated by Mr. J. A. Symonds.

Italian Sketches.

which they think highly of, and use for beautifying them-
selves J and also certain washes. But as those of Padua
do not use such things, and I do not wish to make
myself obnoxious to them, or to incur the displeasure of
God and of Our Lady, so I shall say no more on this
subject. But," he continues, " if thou desirest to preserve
thy complexion for a long time, I advise thee to wash
thyself with water from fountains, rivers, or wells. I warn
thee that if thou usest cosmetics thy face will become
hideous and thy teeth black ; thou wilt be old before
thy time, and the ugliest object possible. This is quite
enough to say on this subject."

Cennini seems, notwithstanding, to have been em-
ployed to paint people's faces, if we may judge from the
following passage in the same work : —

" Sometimes you may be obliged to paint or dye flesh,
faces of men and women in particular. You can mix
your colours with yolk of egg ; or should you wish to
make them more brilliant, with oil, or liquid varnish, the
strongest of all temperas. Do you want to remove the
colours or tempera from the face ? Take yolk of egg and
rub it, a little at a time, with your hand on the face.
Then take clean water, in which bran has been boiled,
and wash the face ; then more of the yolk of egg, and
again rub the face with it ; and again wash with warm
water. Repeat this many times until the face returns
to its original colour."

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 7

The sumptuary laws cited by the Osservatore Fioren-
tino are as follow : —

" 1 st. It is forbidden for any unmarried woman to
wear pearls or precious stones, and the married dames
may only wear ornaments to the value of forty golden
florins at any one time.

u 2nd. In the week preceding a wedding, neither bride
nor bridegroom may ask to dinner or supper more than
four persons not appertaining to the house.

" 3rd. The brides who desire to go to church on horse-
back may do so, but are not to be accompanied by more
than six women attendants.

" 4th. On the marriage day, only sixteen women may
dine in the bridegroom's house, six of the bride's family
and ten of the bridegroom's, besides his mother, his
sisters, and his aunts.

"5 th. There may only be ten men of the family, and
eight friends ; boys under fourteen do not count.

" 6th. During the repast, only three musicians and
singers are to be allowed.

" 7th. The dinner or supper may not consist of more
than three solid dishes, but confectionery and fruit ad
libitum.

" 8th. The bride and bridegroom are allowed to invite
two hundred people to witness the signing of the contract
before the celebration of the marriage."

These laws, however, appear to have been of little use,

Italian Sketches.

to judge by the representation of the marriage procession
of Boccaccio degli Adimari on the cassone, or marriage-
chest, the painted front of which is now in the Academia
delle Belle Arte, at Florence. Men and women mag-
nificently clad are walking hand in hand, under a canopy
of red and white damask, supported by poles, and
stretched from the lovely little Loggia del Bigallo,
past Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous doors of the baptistry of
San Giovanni, to the corner of Via de' Martelli. The
trumpeters of the Republic sit on the steps of the
Loggia, blowing their golden trumpets ornamented with
square flags, on which is emblazoned the lily of the city
of Florence. Pages in gorgeous clothes, and carrying
gold and silver vases on their heads, are passing in and
out of one of the Adimari palaces. A man behind the
musicians holds a flask of wine in his hand, just the
same flask as one sees now in daily use in Tuscany. The
ladies have head-dresses like large turbans ; one is made
of peacock's feathers, and all are sparkling with jewels.

Funerals were also a great source of show and splen-
dour in those days, and their cost increased rapidly. In
1340 the funeral of Gherardo Baroncelli cost only two
hundred golden florins, and about the same time that of
Giotto Peruzzi five hundred; whereas, in 1377, the ex-
penses for the burial of Monaldo Alberti di Messer
Niccolaio d'Jacopo degli Alberti amounted to three
thousand golden florins, nearly five thousand pounds.

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany, g

The following details of this magnificent affair, from
the manuscript of Monaldi, may interest the curious
reader : —

" Monaldo Alberti di Messer Niccolaio d'Jacopo degli
Alberti, died on the 7th of August, 1377 ; he passed for
the richest man, as regards money, in the country. He
was buried on the 8th of August, in Santa Croce, with
great honour of torches and wax candles. The funeral
car was of red damask, and he was dressed in the same
red damask, in cloth and in cloth of gold. There were
eight horses, one decked with the arms of the people,
because he was a cavalier of the people ; one with the
arms of the Guelphs, because he was one of their
captains j two horses were covered with big banners, on
which were emblazoned the Alberti arms ; one horse
had a pennant, and a casque and sword and spurs of
gold, and on the casque was a damsel with two wings ;
another horse was covered with scarlet, and his rider
had a thick mantle of fur, lined ; another horse was
undraped, and his rider wore a violet cloak lined with
dark fur.

" When the body was removed from the arcade of the
house, there was a sermon; seventy-two torches sur-
rounded the car, that is to say, sixty belonged to the
house, and twelve to the Guelph party. A large cata-
falque was all furnished with torches of a pound weight ;
and the whole church, and the chief chapels towards the

io Italian Sketches.

centre of the church, were full of small torches of half a
pound weight, often interspersed with those of one pound.
All the relations, and those of close parentage with the
house of Alberti, were dressed in blood-red ; and all the
women who belonged to them, or had entered the family
by marriage, wore the same colour. Many other families
were in black. A great quantity of money was there to
give away for God, etc. Never had been seen such
honours. This funeral cost something like three thousand
golden florins."

The Medici made no attempt to control this splen-
dour ; indeed, one of Lorenzo the Magnificent's favourite
sayings was, "Pane e feste tengon il popol quieto" (Bread
and shows keep the people quiet). Cosmo I. had a
passion for jousts and games of all sorts; ballets on
horseback and masquerades ; these were generally held
in the Piazza Sta. Croce. The masquerade, in 1 615, to
celebrate the arrival of Ubaldo della Rovere, Prince of
Urbino, has been engraved by Jacques Callot, and was
called the War of Love. First came the chariot of Love,
surrounded with clouds, which opened showing Love and
his court. Then came the car of Mount Parnassus with
the Muses, Paladins, and famous men of letters. The
third was the chariot of the Sun, with the twelve signs
of the zodiac, the serpent of Egypt, the months and
seasons ; this chariot was surrounded by eight Ethiopian
giants. The car of Thetis closed the procession, with

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany, ii

Sirens, Nereids, and Tritons, and eight giant Neptunes,
to represent the principal seas of the world.

Ferdinand II. also delighted in these shows, and
several held during his reign have been engraved by
Stefano della Bella and Jacques Callot.

Princess Violante of Bavaria, who came, in 1689, to
marry Ferdinand, son of Cosmo III., was received
with great splendour. She entered Florence by the
Porta San Gallo, where a chapel had been erected on
purpose to crown her as she crossed the threshold of
the city. The princess then seated herself on a jewelled
throne, and was carried into the town under a canopy
borne by a number of youths, splendidly dressed, and
chosen for their beauty and high birth. After a solemn
thanksgiving in the cathedral, she was escorted to the
Pitti Palace by the senate and the chief people of the
city. The carnival feasts that year were more mag-
nificent than usual in her honour.

T. Rinnucini, writing to a friend in the beginning of
the seventeenth century, gives the following quaint
account of a wedding in his own family : —

" When the alliance was arranged, we went in person
to all our near relatives, and sent servants to those of
remoter kin, to give notice of the day on which the bride
would leave our house in her bridal attire ; so that all
relations down to the third degree might accompany her
to mass. At the house door, we found a company of

12 Italian Sketches.

youths, the seraglio, as we say, who complimented my
niece, and made as though they would not allow her to
quit the house until she bestowed on them rings or
clasps, or some such trinkets. When she had, with
infinite grace, given the usual presents, the spokesman
of the party, who was the youngest, and of high family,
waited on the bride, and served her as far as the church
door, giving her his arm. After the marriage, we had a
grand banquet, with all the relations on both sides, and
the youths of the seraglio, who, in truth, have a right to
be present at the feast."

In other descriptions of marriages about the same time,
we read that during the banquet a messenger sought
audience of the bride, and presented her with a basket
of flowers, or a pair of scented gloves sent by the seraglio,
together with the rings, clasps, or other ornaments she
had given them on leaving her father's house. The
bridegroom, according to his means, gave the messenger
thirty, forty, fifty, or even, if very rich, a hundred scudi,
which the youths spent in a great feast to their com-
panions and friends, in a masquerade, or some such
entertainment.

The marriage-ring was given on another day, when
there was a feast of white confectionery, followed by
dancing, if the size of the house permitted it. Otherwise
the company played at giule, a game of cards no longer
known ; the name being derived, says Salvini, from the

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 13

coin called gtulio, worth fifty-six centimes, which was
placed in a plate in the middle of the table as the stake.

At the beginning of the feast, the names of the guests
were read out according to their different degrees of
parentage, so that all might find their places without
confusion.

The bride's dower was carried in procession to the
bridegroom's house, in the cassoni, or marriage-chests,
which varied in splendour according to the riches of the
family. Some were of carved wood, some inlaid, others
covered with velvet ornamented with richly gilt ironwork,
and the finest of all were painted, often by famous
artists, with the deeds of the ancestors of the family.
The great luxury consisted in fine linen ; " twenty dozen
of everything," was the rule in those days, which is still
adhered to among old-fashioned people in Tuscany.

It was in such a marriage-chest that the beautiful
Ginevra dei Benci, whose portrait exists in the fresco
by Ghirlandajo in Sta. Maria Novella, hid while playing
hide and seek the evening before her marriage. The
cassone was of carved wood, and the heavy lid closed
upon her, snapping the lock fast. All search for her
was vain, and the old tale says that her fair fame
suffered at the hands of malicious women, jealous of her
exceeding beauty. Years afterwards, when the chest
was forced open, the remains of the lovely Ginevra were
found, still, it is said, preserving traces of beauty, and

u Italian Sketches.

with the peculiar scent she used still lingering about her
long, fair hair; in her right hand she grasped the jewel
her bridegroom had given her to fasten the front of her
gown. In Florence, the bella Ginevra is still talked
about among the common people as the ideal type of
woman's beauty.

All these old usages have vanished now among the
gentlefolk of Florence, but some yet linger among the
contadini, or peasantry, who are essentially conservative,
and opposed to change. Sir Henry Maine has de-
scribed * a state of things among the South Slavonians
and Rajpoots which is curiously like the life of the
Tuscan contadino of the present day.

The house community of the South Slavonians de-
spotically ruled by the paterfamilias; and the house-
mother, who governs the women of the family, though
always subordinate to the house-chief, is almost a
counterpart of the primitive custom still prevailing in
Tuscany, and doubtless existing in the days of the
gallant youths and fair ladies we have mentioned above.

In all dealings of the contadini with strangers the
capoccio, or head-man, represents the family, and his word
or signature binds them all collectively. He administers
the family affairs, and arranges what work is to be done
during the day, and who is to do it. No member of the
family can marry without his consent, ratified by that of

* In the Nineteenth Century, December, 1877.

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 15

the padrone, or landlord, and he keeps the common
purse. On Saturday night, the men state their wants to
him, and he decides whether they are reasonable, and,
above all, whether the family finances permit their real-
ization. The rule of the capoccio is extremely despotic,
for I have known the case of an old man, the uncle of
the head-man, being kept for some time without his
weekly pittance for buying snuff as a punishment for
disobeying an order.

The dignity of capoccio is hereditary and generally goes
to the eldest son, although it happens that he may be
passed over, and an uncle or a younger brother chosen to
fill the position, by the padrone, to whom the capoccio is
responsible for the behaviour of the rest of the family.
Should he fall hopelessly ill, the family inform the-
padrone in an indirect way, who suggests to the head-
man that he should abdicate; but in this case, and
indeed whenever it is practicable, the choice of the
successor is left to the capoccio himself, in order to
maintain the dignity of the position.

The massaia, or house-mother, is generally one of the
oldest women in the house; often the mother or the
wife of the head-man, but occasionally of more distant
kin. She retains the post until her death, and rules over
the women, keeping the purse for the smaller house
expenses, such as linen, clothes for the women, pepper,
salt, and white rolls for the small children. All these

16 Italian Sketches.

are bought with the proceeds of the work of the women
themselves, which includes the care of the silkworms, of
the poultry, if they are permitted by the landlord to keep
fowls, and the straw-plaiting, which is universal in the
lower Val d'Arno. The girls, from the age of fourteen,
are allowed a certain time every day to work for their
dowry, generally in the evening.

A bride brings into her husband's house a bed, some
linen, a cassone, her personal clothes, and a vezzo, a
necklace of several strings of irregular pearls, costing
from five to a hundred pounds, according to the wealth
of her father, or the amount she has been able to earn.
The vezzo always represents half the dowry, and those
who are too poor to buy pearls get a necklace of dark-
red coral.

After a due course of courtship — during which the
young man visits his innamorata every Saturday evening
and on holidays, bringing her a flower, generally a
carnation, or a rose in the summer months, and im-
provising (if he can) terze or ottave rhymes in her honour,
which he sings as he nears the house — the capoccio dons
his best clothes, and goes in state to ask the hand of
the girl for his son, brother, nephew, or cousin, as it may
be. When the affair is settled, after much talking and
gesticulation, like everything else in Tuscany, a stimaiort
or savio, an appraiser or wise-man, is called in, who
draws up an account of all the bride's possessions. This

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 17

paper, duly signed and sealed, is consigned to the
capoccio of the bridegroom's house, who keeps it care-
fully, as should the young man die without leaving
.children, the wife has a right to the value of all she
brought into her husband's house. If there are children,
the capoccio is the sole guardian, and he administers
their property for them, unless the mother has reason
to think him harsh or unfaithful, when she may call for
a consiglio di famiglia, or family council, who name two
or more administrators.

A widow may elect to remain in her adopted family
and look after her children, who by law belong to the
representative of their father; or she can leave her
children and return to her own people if they are able
and willing to receive her, which is not often the case, as
in Tuscany the contadini marry their children by rotation,
so that often the younger sons or daughters have to wait
for years, until the elder are settled in life. It would be
an unheard-of thing for a younger daughter to marry
before her elder sister.

Second marriages of widows with children are rare,
as the woman would seldom be allowed to bring her
children by the first husband into the house, and the folk-
songs and proverbs are condemnatory of the practice : —

Quando la capra ha passato il poggiolo non si ricorda
piu del figliuolo (When the she-goat has crossed the
hillock, she forgets her young).

c

1 8 Italian Sketches.

Dio ti guardi da donna due volte maritate (God pre-
serve thee from a twice-married woman).

Quando si maritan vedove, il Benedetto va tutto il giorno
per casa (When widows marry, the dear departed is all
day long about the house).

" La vedovella quando sta'n del letto,
Colle lagrime bagna le lenzuola ;
E si rivolta da quel altro verso :
Accanto ci si trova la figliola.
O figlia mia, se tu non fossi nata,
Al mondo mi sarei rimaritata."

(The widow lying in her bed,

With tears bedews the sheets ;

And turns round to the other side,

Where her daughter is.

Oh, my daughter, dear, if thou hadst not been born,

I should have found another husband in this world.)

After seven years of age, the children are by law
allowed to choose with whom they will live, and I have
known some cases of children leaving their mother and
coming of their own accord to their uncle or grandfather,
begging to be taken into the paternal house.

When a marriage is settled, the family of the bride
invites the capoccio and the bridegroom to dinner, to
meet all her relations. This is called the impalmamento,
and many toasts are drunk to the health of the young
couple. It is considered highly improper for the bride
to visit her future home, and even in her walks she takes
care to avoid it. The other members of her family may

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 19

visit it, but she would be dishonoured for ever if she
went near her bridegroom's house.

The peasantry now almost universally observe the new
law of civil marriage, but they still regard it as a mere
form, and look on the religious ceremony as'the important
thing. The civil marriage is often celebrated three or
four days before the religious service, and the girl goes
quietly home to her father's house until the day fixed for
the latter.

In some parts of the Val d'Arno the custom of bein
married after sundown prevails, and the bride wears a
black dress, with a white bonnet or cap, and white gloves,
while, even in winter, a fan is an indispensable adjunct
to her costume. Bridesmaids are unknown, as no un-
married girl is ever present at a marriage. The bride is
attended to church by her father and mother, and her male
and married female relations. The bridegroom's mother,
or the massaia of his house, stays at home to welcome her
new daughter, whom she meets on the threshold of the
house with il bacio di benvenuto (the kiss of welcome).
At the dinner or supper, as the case may be, everybody
in turn makes a brindisi to the young couple. The
female relations of the bride do not go to this dinner,
and she makes up a basket of eatables to send home by
one of the men.

During the first week of her marriage, the bride is ex-
pected to be up before any one else, to light the fire and

Italian Sketches.

prepare coffee for the men before they go into the fields,
and to cook the hot meal either at noon or in the even-
ing, to show that she is a good housewife.

On the first Sunday or holiday following the wedding,
the mother and sisters of the bride come to see her, and
the following week, some of the family of the bridegroom
accompany him and his young wife to her old home,
where they dine ; and this closes the festivities.

It occasionally happens that a family of peasants,
living in the same house and originally nearly related,
in the lapse of years lose relationship so completely that
they might intermarry, but such a thing very rarely
happens. I know a family of twenty-seven who are three
distinct branches of the same family, but whose relation-
ship dates back more than a hundred years. They,
however, regard each other as of one family, and im-
plicitly obey the capoccio, who is a comparatively young
man.

The mezzeria or metayer system generally prevailing in
Tuscany induces a patriarchal feeling between landlord
and peasant, which is very pleasant to see, but is not
conducive to agricultural progress, or a good thing for
the landlord. He pays all the taxes to Government,
which are enormous ; he provides the house rent free, and
keeps it in repair; he buys the oxen, cows, and horses,
bearing half the loss if they die, and of course getting
half the profit when they are sold. The peasant gives his

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 21

labour, the landlord gives the land and the capital, and
the proceeds are divided between them. In bad years,
the landlord advances corn to his peasants, which they
repay when they can, in wine, oil, beans, etc. Where
there is a large family of young children, the peasant
sometimes accumulates a load of debt that cripples him
for years ; in rare instances the landlord turns him out at
six months' notice, and puts another family on the farm ;
but, as a rule, the peasants remain for generations on the
same property, and always talk of themselves as the gente
(people) of their landlord.

The English farmer does not exist in Tuscany ; none
of the peasants have enough capital to lease land, and if
they had they would not do it, being so much better off
under the mezzeria. If a peasant leased a farm, he
would probably starve in a bad season, instead of tiding
it over as he now does by the padrone's help.

The small proprietors are gradually disappearing in
Tuscany ; they cannot pay the enormous taxes and live.
One never takes up a newspaper without seeing a list of
small proprietors whose poderi are for sale, by order of
the esattore or tax-gatherer. The Tuscans are a gentle
and long-suffering people, but such a condition of things
produces a vast amount of discontent and hatred of the
Government, and destroys a valuable class of trustworthy,
orderly citizens.

When a contadino is sent away, he occasionally finds a

22 Italian- Sketches.

new poderi, but most commonly sinks in the social scale,
and becomes a bracciante or day labourer, when his lot
is miserable enough. The usual wage in Tuscany is one
franc, twelve centimes, about elevenpence a day. The
day's work begins at sunrise and lasts till sunset, with
half-an-hour's rest for breakfast at eight in the morning
and one hour for lunch at midday. In the great heat of
summer the midday rest is prolonged, and the men come
earlier and go away later from their work. When the
weather is bad they are days without employment j and
where there are many small children, the family is often
at starvation point. The women in the lower Val
d'Arno are universally occupied in straw plaiting, and if
very expert can, in exceptional years, and for a short
time, gain as much as tenpence a day. But fashion is
always changing and new plaits have to be learned, so
that the average gain rarely exceeds twenty centimes, or
twopence a day. When the Japanese rush hats came
into fashion, there was very great misery among all the
poor plaiters, as Leghorn straw hats were almost un-
saleable.

Going out to service is looked upon as a degradation
among the Tuscan peasantry, and when you find a
woman of that class in service she is certain to be either
a childless widow, a burden on her own family and un-
kindly treated by the relatives of her late husband, or a
girl who has not been allowed to marry as she wished.

Old Florence and Modern Tuscany. 23

The contadino almost invariably chooses a wife in his
own class, generally from a neighbouring family.
Favourite proverbs among the peasants are —

Donne e buoi de' paesi tuoi (Women and oxen from
thine own country). Or,

Chi di lontano si va a maritare, sara ingannato 0 vuol
ingannare (He who seeks a wife from a distance will be
deceived, or attempts deception).

You will seldom find a peasant above thirty who can
write and read, though some have learnt to sign their
names in a sort of hieroglyph. The rising generation
are being instructed in a desultory manner, and are
wonderfully quick at learning. Every man in the army
is forced to learn under penalty of being kept in the
ranks until he can read, write, and cipher decently well ;
so that one may say that the army is one vast school.
The conscription is, however, a very heavy tax, par-
ticularly on the agricultural population, and entails great
misery. The loss, for three years, of the son, who in
many cases is the chief bread-winner for his younger
brothers and sisters, or for an invalid father, often
reduces the family to beggary. I need not add that the
loss to the country is enormous.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that the army is
the great, and probably the only, method of gradually
fusing the different Italian races — I had almost said
nationalities. Since the Middle Ages, the hatred between

24 Italian Sketches.

not only the different provinces, but between the towns
and even the smallest villages, has always existed, and
is still extremely strong. An Italian seldom, if ever, in
Italy at least, talks, of himself as an Italian. He is a
Neapolitan, a Tuscan, a Piedmontese, a Roman, or
a Lombard; and each province thinks that it has the
monopoly of honesty, truth, and exemption from crime.
All this will, no doubt, pass when education has had
time to influence the lower classes; and then also the
quaint manners and customs I have attempted to
describe will disappear, like the costume of the peasants,
which now lingers on only in the meridional provinces.

THE DOVE OF HOLY SATURDAY

THE DOVE OF HOLY SATURDAY.

Saturday in .Holy Week is a great holiday for the
Florentines, and still more for the contadini, or peasants,
of all the country round. They come trooping into the
city, all dressed in their holiday clothes, from miles and
miles away. The streets are crowded with the easy-
going, good-natured, laughter-loving people, who have
jokes and proverbs on the tips of their tongues and
know full well how to apply them. In old days, spring
and summer clothes were always bought on this day, and
the shops were decked out displaying their most tempting
wares. This custom is a thing of the past, but the
colombina or dove, still speeds her fiery course down the
centre of the old cathedral, and sets fire to the wonder-
ful erection outside the great front door, of squibs,
crackers, and Catherine wheels which are piled up on an
old triumphal chariot, with four clumsy wheels, on the body
of which traces of painting may yet be discerned. The
dove will fly at midday, but by ten o'clock the environs
of the beautiful old marble Duomo are crowded, and
from every quarter a never-ceasing stream of people

26 Italian Sketches.

pours in that direction. Many are the conjectures and
the hopes that the dove may fly straight and well, as that
indicates a good harvest, an abundant vintage, and a
fine crop of olives. There is a tradition thougruthat in
the days of Napoleon I. the Archbishop of Florence and
his clergy were threatened with heavy pains and penalties
if the dove did not fly well, and that she sped like
lightning down the cord in the church, and yet the crops
failed. "Ma chi sa," said my informant, " se e vero ?
forse no" (But who knows if this be true? perhaps
not).

By dint of patience and good humour we at last got
into the Duomo, which bore quite a changed aspect ;
every corner being crowded with people, save a narrow
line down the centre, from the front door to the high
altar, up which the archbishop, attended by all his
clergy, was to pass, carrying the sacred fire. To get a
chair was a labour of extreme difficulty, and involved an
amount of diplomacy impossible to any but a Florentine.
The possessor of the chairs was captured, promised
many things, and disappeared in an unaccountable
manner round the huge pillars. He then reappeared,
bearing a pile of chairs, but the crowd separated him
from us, and his chairs were seized upon by other
applicants. After nine or ten frantic efforts, we got our
chairs, much to the amusement of an old contadino
and his wife, who, with various small grandchildren,

The Dove of Holy Saturday. 27

had come to see the colombina. The old man had a
wrinkled, expressive face, with very bright, acute eyes
and iron-grey hair, much such a face as Massacio loved
to paint. He looked at us well, and then said in verna:
cular Tuscan, " Chi ha pazienza ha i tordi grassi a un
quattrin Vuno" (He who has patience gets the fat
thrushes at a farthing apiece).

We were so amused at his apt quotation of an old
proverb that we made great friends, and took up his
grandchildren on one of our chairs to see the show. The
old woman was full of compliments and fears lest the
children should be troublesome, but old Carnesecchi, as
he told us his name was, had quite the old republican
Florentine manners, respectful and civil, but perfectly self-
possessed, and valuing his own personality. He invited
us to come up to his podere, or farm, near Settignano,
close to Michel Angelo's house, where, he said, laughing,
the air is so sottile, so refined, that all the people are
geniuses, only the world in general is not disposed to
think so.

A stir in the crowd now showed that the Archbishop
was coming out of the baptistry of San Giovanni,
opposite the cathedral, and all heads turned towards the
main door, where we soon saw the great white flag with
the red cross, the flag of the people of Florence, come
waving in, followed by a long line of white-robed
choristers singing. Other flags followed, then the

28 Italian Sketches.

canons of the cathedral in their picturesque long robes
of dark purple, with white fur hoods, and lastly the
stately and handsome Archbishop, with a jewelled mitre
sparkling on his head, and a pastorale in his hand, all
chiselled and set with precious stones, made by one of
the famous old artificers of the fourteenth century. The
Archbishop Limberti, who died of apoplexy soon after
this, at the early age of forty-three, was the son of a
peasant near Prato ; he was handsome and exceedingly
dignified in manner, a good scholar, and spoke elegant
Italian ; beloved and respected by all parties, he filled a
difficult post with great ability. Tall, spare, and erect,
he came slowly up the centre of the church, blessing the
people to the right and the left, as they bowed low before
him. When he had passed, they talked with pride of
our Archbishop, and many stories of his charity and
kindness were told in the crowd.

Mass was now said at the high altar, but every one's
attention seemed to be concentrated on an unsightly
high white post close to the marble balustrade which
surrounds the altar. To this post was fixed a cord,
which, suspended in mid-air far above the heads of the
people, disappeared out of the great front door, and was
fastened to the chariot outside the Duomo. A small
white speck was seen on the cord, fastened to the pillar,
which we were informed was the famous dove. When
the Gloria had been sung, a man went up a ladder with

The Dove of Holy Saturday. 29

a lighted taper, which he applied to the dove. There
was a great spitting and hissing, and all at once she shot
forward down the cord, a streak of fire and sparks.
There was a stir and hum in the crowd, and a few little
screams from some of the women ; the dove vanished out
of the door, and then there was a series of explosions
from outside, while the dove returned as fast as she had
gone, and went back to the pillar of wood, where she
remained still fizzing for a few seconds.

Then all the bells of Florence, which had been silent
since twelve o'clock on Thursday, began to ring merry
chimes, and the great organ pealed out a triumphal
melody. We made our way out of the Duomo as fast as
we could, and were in time to see the last of the fire-
works on the chariot; they made a tremendous noise,
but as the sun shone brightly, there was not much to
see. The fireworks were piled up some twenty feet high,
and arranged in such a manner that only half of them
go off in front of the Duomo, the other half being
reserved for the corner of Borgo degli Albizzi, where the
house of the Pazzi family is situated, in whose honour
this custom was originally instituted. When all the
squibs and crackers were finished, four magnificent white
oxen, gaily decked with ribbons, were harnessed to the
car, which moved off slowly with many creaks and
groans round the south side of the cathedral towards the
Via del Proconsolo. The crowd was immense, so we

30 Italian Sketches.

took some short cuts down the tortuous narrow streets
in this old part of Florence, each of which has some
passionate love-story or some dark tale of blood attached
to it, and took up a favourable position opposite the
entrance to the street of Borgo degli Albizzi, which is
too narrow to admit the car.

The four white oxen were unharnessed and taken
away, and a cord being put from the door of the Pazzi
Palace to the car, another dove again flew to the fire-
works, and the popping and fizzing was renewed, to the
intense delight of the crowd.

The dove had flown swiftly and well this year, so the
contadini returned home joyfully, spreading the glad
tidings as they went — "La colombina e andato bene''' (The
dove has flown well).

This ceremony is connected with the old and noble
family of Pazzi, whose ancestor, Pazzino de' Pazzi, so
says the tradition, was the first to scale the walls of
Jerusalem and plant the Christian flag. Godfrey de
Bouillon, to recompense such prowess, crowned him
with a mural crown, gave him his own armorial bear-
ings, five crosses and two dolphins, and bestowed on
him three stones, supposed to have come from the Holy
Sepulchre. Gamurrini mentions that Pazzino de' Pazzi
made a triumphant entry into Florence like a conqueror,
in a magnificent chariot, and with a gallant company of
youths around to do him honour.

The Dove of Holy Saturday. 31

The three stones were deposited in the church of
St. Biagio, whence they were removed to Santi Apostoli.
On the morning of Holy Saturday, the Archbishop,
attended by all his clergy, goes to the church of Santi
Apostoli and strikes fire from these stones. He then
lights a taper, which is carried in procession to the
Baptistry, and then to the Duomo, where the fire is
blessed, and the devout light candles at it.

Old records contain no mention of a triumphal entry
of any Pazzi, or of a mural crown, and R. Malespina and
Monsignor Borghini both agree that the Count of Bari
gave the above-mentioned armorial bearings to the Pazzi
in 1265. Travellers, too, say that the three stones are
of quite a different nature from that of the Holy Sepul-
chre. They were probably collected on the Mount of
Olives by some devout pilgrim of the Pazzi family, who
brought them home as relics, and in process of time
they have gained the reputation of being portions of the
Holy Sepulchre.

The triumphal entry of Pazzino de' Pazzi into
Florence, and his supposed progress from the sea-coast
to his native city, were favourite subjects with the old
painters, chiefly for cassone or wedding-chests. I have
seen several, good, bad, and indifferent. One of the
finest is by Benozzo Gozzoli; Pazzino de' Pazzi is
seated in a magnificent gold chariot, with a golden
canopy over his head, drawn by two horses, whose

32 Italian Sketches.

trappings sweep the ground. He is dressed in armour,
and a tabard of cloth of gold trimmed with fur ; on his
head is a kind of turban, surmounted by a crown.
Round his chariot are crowds of splendidly dressed
youths on horseback, and behind come a troop of men
in armour, and another magnificent car with ladies in it ;
their dresses are of gold brocade and embroidered stuffs,
and long veils hang down from their curious head-
dresses. One has a turban made of peacock's feathers.

In front of the chariot of Pazzino de' Pazzi is another
car, bearing a gilt globe, and on the globe stands a
winged golden figure fiddling; round this chariot are
trumpeters, from whose long golden trumpets hang
square dark-blue flags, on which are emblazoned flames.
The procession is opened by a square chariot, bearing an
enormous two-handled jar, with two large wings ; out
of the mouth of the jar issue flames — the sacred fire
which Pazzi brought from Jerusalem. This is sur-
rounded by pages on splendidly caparisoned horses,
and groups of men in Eastern dress. The background
is a walled city with many towers, and a lovely landscape
with a river winding through it. People are hawking and
hunting in the far distance.

Giovanni Villani, mentioning the claims of the Pazzi
to be connected with this festivity, says : — " The blessed
fire of Holy Saturday is distributed throughout the city ;
an inmate from each house goes to light a taper at the

The Dove of Holy Saturday. 33

cathedral, and from this solemnity arose great honour to
the noble house of Pazzi through one of their ancestors,
named Pazzo, who was tall and strong, and could carry
a larger fascine of tapers than any one else; he was
therefore the first to take the holy fire, and then he
distributed it to others."

The use of the car is also explained by the Pazzi
family only taking a few tapers at first; in time these
were increased in number, and a car was made to carry
them. The real origin of the car being forgotten, it was
transformed into a trophy, and the tapers into fireworks.

" Tantum aevi longinqua valet mutare vetustas ! "

•»»•••

THE BADIA A SETTIMO-

A SEPTEMBER DAY IN THE VALLEY
OF THE ARNO.

Leaving Florence by the Porta S. Frediano we drove
about four miles to the ancient Badia a Settimo, famous
in the political as well as the religious annals of Tuscany.
The peasants were as busy as bees, preparing casks and
vats for the vintage, and the universal hammering was quite
deafening, mingled with the beating out of the sagina —
a kind of millet much grown for making brooms, which
are sent by shiploads to England and America. Most
beautiful are the fields of sagina ; it grows six or seven
feet high, the light green leaves bending gracefully to the
breeze, and the loose tuft of seed falling like a cascade of
chestnut-coloured rain from the tops of the tall stems.
To English eyes the wealth of grapes appeared in-
credible, and the colours marvellous. From maple to
maple hung long garlands of vines in fantastic shapes,
the Buon Amico, or "good friend," with large loose
bunches of purple-black grapes, the Trebbiano, brilliant
yellow, with the sunny side stained a deep brown, the

36 Italian Sketches.

Uva Grassa, a dull yellow-green, and the lovely Occhio di
Pernice, or "partridge's eye," of a light pink with ruby
lines meandering about in every grape, the flavour of
which was quite equal to its beauty. The contadini were
much amused at our admiration, and insisted on our
tasting the various kinds of grapes. Immense golden
pumpkins, melons, water-melons, and scarlet tomatoes
were being picked, and on some of the farms the women
and children were busily employed in making round
cakes of the latter fruit, and drying them in the sun for
winter consumption. Outside the windows hung branches
of the Acacia horrida, of which the crown of thorns is
said to have been made ; each long thorn bearing a crop
of skinned figs, the gelatinous, sweet drops of juice oozing
out and congealing in the sun's rays. On the low walls
surrounding the threshing-floors were flat baskets, boards,
and plates, all covered with split peaches and figs drying
in the sun, for the children to eat in winter with their
bread.

About half-way we crossed the little torrent Greve
over a picturesque old bridge, with a pretty little oratory
perched on the top. It was built by Pisan prisoners in
the days when every Italian city was at deadly feud with
its neighbour.

Turning off the high-road to the right, the gate-tower
cf the Badia a Settimo rose high above the plain, and
soon the long, picturesque line of machicolated walls of

The Valley of the Arno. 37

what is left of the monastery came into sight. In 940 it
was a dependency of the powerful Counts of Borgonuovo,
or Fucecchio. Count Lotario enlarged the abbey, which
was inhabited by the Cluniacense monks, in 1004. His
son, Count Gugliemo Bulgaro, was a munificent patron,
and among other possessions gave them the church of
San Salvatore, in the Apennines, with the vast territory
of Stale (hospice), as a hermitage for those monks who
desired to retire from the world. Stale in after-times was
raised to a countship, and in the fourteenth century was
an apple of discord between Bologna and Florence.
Count Gugliemo was a friend of St. John Gualberto, and
asked him to reform the monastery of Settimo, where
abuses and evil customs of all sorts had taken root ; and
until his death, in 1073, the saintly abbot of Vallombrosa
reigned supreme, and introduced his own rule. It was
here by his order that St. Peter Igneus, in 1068, went
through the ordeal of fire, in the presence of an immense
concourse of people. The following inscriptions still
exist attesting the fact : —

" Igneus hie Petrus medios pertransiit ignes,
Flammarum victor, sed magis haereseos."
" Hoc in loco, miraculo S. Joannis Gualberti, quidam fuere con-
futati Haeretici. MLXX."

A considerable portion of the Laurentian codes was
executed about this time in the Badia a Settimo, bought
by the Medicis afterwards for a large sum, for their library

38 Italian Sketches.

in Florence : the monks were also famous agriculturists
and hydraulic engineers.

Emperors and popes took the abbey under their pro-
tection, and, in 1236, Gregory IX. gave it to the Cis-
tercians, and declared it to be under the immediate
protection of the Holy See. The exemplary life of the
new inhabitants of the monastery so gained the esteem
of the public that the Signory of Florence confided to
them the administration of the taxes, the maintenance of
the city walls and the bridges, the construction of the
castles and fortified places in the Florentine district, and
finally declared them keepers of the great seal. The large
possessions of the abbey served as a guarantee, and the
monks were exempt from all taxes to the state ; how con-
siderable their revenue must have been is proved by the
large sum each abbot paid on investiture to the Court of
Rome — a thousand golden florins. Various mills were
erected by them on the banks of the Arno ; but the weirs
and locks interfered with navigation, and caused such
serious inundations that, in 1385, the Republic of Florence
ordered their demolition.

The abbey suffered so much during the siege of
Florence in 1529 that Paul IV. permitted the abbot and
the greater part of his monks to migrate to the monastery
of Cestello, near Porta Pinti, which had belonged to them
since 1442. Tradition assigns the campanile, a hundred
and eleven feet high, a model of elegance, to the munificent

The Valley of the Arno. 39

Count Gugliemo. At the base it is round, about half
way up it becomes hexagonal, with small machicolations
at the summit, and a pyramidical roof. Vasari, in his
life of Niccolo Pisano, attributes this lovely bell-tower to
the famous Pisan architect, who was certainly consulted
about alterations to the church, and in fact it resembles
the well-known campanile of San Niccolo at Pisa.

On approaching the Badia a Settimo, the tall gate-
tower is most imposing, with its machicolations and the
curious large alto-relievo of our Lord and two saints,
built in brick and mortar, and evidently of great an-
tiquity. There are still traces of painted angels' heads
in the niche containing the figures. Below the feet of
Christ is a stone, bearing the lily of Florence and an
illegible inscription; under that again is a marble slab
with "Anno Domini MCCXXXVI S. S. Dmn. N.
Gregorius IX. dedit hoc Monasterium de Septimo Ordin.
Cisterc. cum esset liberum et exemptum ab omni regio
patronatu, quod in plena libertate a dicto Ordine pacifice
possidetur."

This tower was connected in old times with the for-
tress-like walls with which the Republic of Florence
surrounded the monastery after the inroads of the Pisans
under Giovanni Acuto (Sir John Hawkwood), in 137 1.
There were three other towers, and a broad walk all
round the top of the walls, which were also defended by
a moat, and each tower had a drawbridge. How im-

40 Italian Sketches.

posing the Badia must have been in those days before
the Arno had deposited over fifteen feet of mud, which
conceals so much of the ancient structure ! Now the
monastery is a private villa, and the cloisters, with their
slender columns and beautifully carved capitals, resound
to the pitter-patter of children's feet and the joyous
laughter of young girls. The refectory of the monks,
more than half-buried, has been divided into various
cellars, and the fine old abbey church, with its solemn,
antediluvian-looking columns, is the tinaia where the
wine is made. Huge vats are ranged round the walls,
and the lithe, brown-limbed contadini tread the foaming
must, and sing their gay stornelli, where the black-robed
monks once chanted hymns and psalms. One can judge
of the original height of the building by one column
which is excavated to its base, and of which there is
much less above than underground.

The present church was built at right angles to the
ancient edifice, and nearer the campanile in the thirteenth
century. Round the choir runs a pretty frieze of the
school of Luca della Robbia, four winged angels' heads
alternating with the kneeling lamb holding a banner,
emblem of the guild of wool manufacturers. The high
altar is a magnificent specimen of pietra dura work,
and Giovanni di San Giovanni used his facile brush in
1629 to great effect in the left-hand chapel, where is a
small marble Ambrey (or receptacle for the holy oil), by

The Valley of the Arno. 41

Desiderio da Settignano, which is a perfect jewel. Above
the altar of this chapel, behind painted doors, is kept a
large silver casket containing the bones of St. Quentin,
whose story was related in a most graphic manner by the
priest's nephew, a small boy of about thirteen. He
demurred to showing us the reliquary, as it entailed
fetching two keys and lighting all the candles; but he
informed us that St. Quentin was beheaded in Paris a
thousand years ago. By a miracle his body was trans-
ported to a church on the opposite side of the Arno,
which, however, the saint did not like, so the silver chest
floated across the river, and in 1187 was brought to the
Badia a Settimo, and deposited in the centre of the
church in front of the high altar. "Ma non ci voile
stare, pover uomo" (but he would not remain, poor
fellow), continued our informant, " and every morning
the monks found him in this chapel ; and so here he is,
but without his head, for he could not find it when he
left Paris. However, the box is full of bones," and the
boy moved his two arms up and down as though violently
shaking in imagination the remains of the poor saint,
to make them rattle. As the present church, witli St.
Quentin's chapel, dates several hundred years later than
the finding of the silver casket, we may be allowed to
place a note of interrogation against the powers of
migration of the headless saint.

To the right of the high altar is the ancient Spini

42 Italian Sketches.

chapel, which must have been detached from the original
church, like the Cappella degli Spagnuoli in Sta. Maria
Novella at Florence, and been entered from the cloisters.
There are still dim traces of the frescoes by BurTalmacco.
Now the chapel is like a cavern, as the deposit of the
river has raised the surface of the ground to such a
degree that the spring of the arches nearly touches the
floor. There is an inscription setting forth that this
chapel was built for the soul of Lapi des Spinis, in

High banks and dykes now keep the Arno in some
control, but the tremendous flood of 1844 filled the
chapel to the roof with muddy water, and completed
the ruin of three or four fine pictures which were in the
sacristy, and are now in the Uffizzi gallery at Florence
undergoing restoration, if possible. The peasants near
by had to take their bullocks and horses up into the
bedrooms to save them from drowning. It seems that
the poor beasts went upstairs willingly enough, " but all
the king's horses and all the king's men " could not get
them down again, so that in some instances the oxen had
to be slaughtered and carried down piecemeal.

We were informed by the priest that even the present
church had been built high above the level of the
ground, and was approached hy a flight of steps, now
deep under the earth. The bases of the pillars which
support the loggia in front of the church are more than

The Valley of the Arno. 43

half-buried, and some tombs which were let into the
walls have disappeared. The cenotaph of the Countess
Gasdia, wife of the great Count Gugliemo Bulgaro, with
a laudatory inscription, is still to be seen, with an inscrip-
tion above recording the burial of the Countess Cilia,
her daughter-in-law, who died in 1096. It must have
been placed in its present position, to the right of the
church door, when the ancient abbey-church was
abandoned.

Passing through the village of San Colombano we
drove along pretty country lanes, the hedges all glowing
with the scarlet berries of the orange thorn, and the
trees clothed in vines, towards Lastra a Signa. At one
farm they had begun the vintage; men, women, and
children were busily occupied, the men on ladders
cutting down the pendice (two vine canes twisted carefully
together in the early spring, with the eyes turned out-
wards), the women picking off all the leaves, which serve
as fodder for the cattle. The finest pendice are hung up
inside the loggia, which almost invariably adorns a Tus-
can farmhouse, in order to dry the grapes gradually for
colouring and strengthening the wine after the first fer-
mentation. The stately white oxen were chewing the
cud, and the red ox-cart with a large vat tied on, and
the wooden h'goncia, all stained with the red vine juice,
looked most Bacchanalian. A handsome young conta-
dino came along at a swinging trot with a bigoncia poised

44 Italian Sketches.

on one shoulder, in which the purple and yellow grapes
were piled high. How Cesare Benozzo — for that, he
told us, was his name — ever managed to carry so incon-
venient a thing without intense suffering we could not
make out. The contents of the bigoncia were emptied
with a thud and a splash into the vat, which, when full,
went creaking and groaning slowly home to the tinai'a,
where the grapes were transferred to the larger vats after
being well crushed.

The medieval machicolated walls and towers, and the
old gateways of Lastra a Signa are intact. A fortified
castle, called Gangalandi, was erected in 1226 to defend
the road to Pisa (after the destruction of the ancient
fortress of Monte Orlando in 1107), which was taken and
burnt by the Pisans, aided by their English auxiliaries, in
1364.

With proverbial astuteness the Florentines contrived
some years later to bribe Giovanni Acuto (Sir John
Hawkwood), the famous condottiere, who left his Pisan
masters and entered their service. His portrait, on his
war-horse, is over the right-hand door of the cathedral of
Florence, painted by Paolo Uccello in terra verde, in
1436. The action of the horse of the " Incliti Militis
Domini Joannis Aguti " has given rise to endless dis-
cussion among mathematicians and philosophers of the
Renaissance, which are amusing enough. He is evidently
ambling, so that Paolo Uccello is unjustly called pictor

The Valley of the Arno. 45

ineptus by one of these learned scholars for making the
horse raise the two off-legs simultaneously.

Sir John Hawkwood was the most famous of the con-
dottieri, or captains of free bands in the fourteenth century;
he crossed the Alps in 136 1, and his first feat of arms in
Italy was to take prisoner the " Green Count " of Savoy,
at Cirie, a small town of Piedmont. He was an Essex
yeoman, the born vassal of John de Vere, seventh Earl
of Oxford, with whom he seems to have made the cam-
paign in France in 1343. In 1376 Pope Gregory XI.
bestowed on him the two castles of Cotignola and Bagna-
cavallo, near Faenza, the earliest instance on record of
the grant of a sovereign fief by any Italian potentate to
an alien. Some of Hawkwood's letters still existing at
Mantua bear various signatures, thus : " Johannes
Haukutd, Hauchbod, Haubchod, Hauchwod, Hauh-
cunod, Haucud." The name "Acuto," by which the
great condottiere is known in Italian history, and which is
inscribed on his tomb at Florence, would scarcely have
been identified with Hawkwood, if Villani had not
recorded that in English it signified " Falcone in Bosco "
(Hawk in a wood).

Lastra a Signa was rebuilt in 1377 by the Republic of
Florence, according to the advice of Sir John Hawkwood,
and twenty years later the unfortunate little town was
invested and taken by Alberigo, captain of Galeazzo
Visconti, Lord of Milan, who was at deadly feud with the

46 Italian- Sketches.

Signory. Again the walls were restored; and in 1529,
when the imperialists besieged Florence, Francesco Fer-
rucci, whose headquarters were at Empoli, five miles
down the river, garrisoned Lastra a Signa with some of
his bravest troops. The Prince of Orange sent a strong
force of Spaniards with scaling-ladders to take the place,
who were repulsed with considerable loss ; but munitions
ran short in the fortress, and while negotiations were
going on, five hundred more Spanish lances arrived with
battering-rams, effected an entrance on the south-east
side, and cut the gallant defenders to pieces.

There is nothing remarkable in the village, save a
picturesque loggia, still bearing traces of lavish decoration,
which was part of the hospital for pilgrims once existing
inside the walls. It has been barbarously maltreated ;
part is now a theatre, the rest is carpenters' shops. The
population is squalid and miserable enough, and it does
not bear a good name, they are mostly employed in plait-
ing, sewing, and ironing straw hats, and the clatter of the
hopper used for sorting the straw is incessant. The so-
called Leghorn hats are all plaited in the lower Val d'Arno,
and before the introduction of the cheap Japanese reed
hats the women earned so much that the men did not
think it worth while to work, and spent their time in
gambling and loitering. Straw hats have diminished so
much in price that a woman barely gains threepence a
day, unless she is very expert, and can do the finest plait

The Valley of the Arno. 47

with fifteen or more straws, or is clever enough to invent
a new pattern.

Skirting the fine walls we turned to the left, opposite
the Portone del Baccio, the southern gate-tower of Lastra
a Signa, now used as a prison, and followed the old Pisan
road, up the valley of Rimaggio, to see the castle of Mal-
mantile, some two and a half miles hence. The monastery
of St. Lucia crowns the hill on our right, built where the
fortress of Monte Orlando once stood ; in the quiet
convent garden under the solemn cypresses are still some
fragments of the ancient walls of the castle, the last strong-
hold of the great Counts of Fucecchio in this neighbour-
hood, destroyed by the Florentines in 1107.

The road to Malmantile following the little stream of
Rimaggio, is beautiful ; steep hillsides clothed with
heather and pines, patches of cyclamen and the autumn
crocus, or colchicum, glowing in the sunlight, while last
year's leaves of the Christmas roses were yellow, bright
brown, and almost black, and shaggy goats climbing
among the jutting rocks formed a picture worthy of the
brush of Salva tor Rosa.

We passed four water-mills, and then, perched on a
well-wooded knoll, with jagged rocks and a tangled
undergrowth of honeysuckle, heather, and brambles,
whose leaves were turning red and purple, saw the farm-
house of St. Antonio, which must in old times have been
a fortress, dominating the valley. It is picturesque

48 Italian Sketches.

enough, all corners, angles, and arches, with a grey

tower, now the home of numerous pigeons

" Cooing all their sweet love-ditties
As their white wings flap or fold. "

Two mutilated angels in terra-cotta, apparently of the

school of Verrocchio, keep watch and ward over the

farmhouse in niches on either side of an archway. A

pleasant-looking old contadina was washing on the aja

(threshing-floor), and asking her about the angels, she

told us with some pride that a chapel existed where mass

was said once a year for the dead who were buried

there.

" It has always been here — at least, when I say always,
for 1382 years," said she, counting the centuries on her
fingers as though they were centimes; "and that is
always, is it not, signora ? "

We went in to see the chapel which has been modern-
ized, but on lifting a stained and faded curtain of blue
calico which covered the wall behind the altar, we saw
a very fine ancient fresco, evidently by a master hand of
the early fifteenth century. St. Antonio is seated in the
middle, with God the Father above, and on either side
stand three life-size saints. St. Stephen next the window
was particularly beautiful, with a sweet, solemn face one
was never tired of looking upon. The old woman of
course knew nothing of the history of either house or
fresco, save that it was roba antica (old stuff), and that

The Valley of the Arno. 49

her padrone had put the curtain because the saints were
schifoso (dirty). He had intended repainting them, but
artists were people without any conscience, or else their
colours cost a lot of money ; so the blue calico had been
bought as a way out of the difficulty. Fortunately the
pot of whitewash had not been thought of !

A little higher up the view is lovely. The valley we
had just left forms a perfect V, with the grey tower and
picturesque arches of St. Antonio rising in the very
centre, like a watch-dog set to guard the pass ; further
down, the long line of the monastery of St. Lucia is
perched on the brow of the hill to the left, and the back-
ground is formed by the broad plain of the Arno, bathed
in a golden mist, while Monte Morello, at whose foot
lies Doccia, the china manufactory of the Ginori family,
makes a violet-grey mass in the far distance.

Another hill, and the castle of Malmantile is seen
crowning the very summit, and standing out against the
blue sky in solitary grandeur. The view thence is ex-
tensive and imposing; the barren, rolling hills seem
endless as we look over the Val di Pesa, and far-off St.
Miniato al Tedesco

"lifts to heaven
Her diadem of towers."

" Risiede Malmantile sovra un poggetto :
E chiunque verso lui volta le ciglia,
Dice che i fondatori ebber concetto
Di fabbricar' l'ottava maraviglia,

E

so Italian Sketches.

L'ampio paese poi, che egli ha soggetto
Non si sa (vo' giuocare) a mille miglia :
Ve l'aria buona, azzurra oltramarina :
E non vi manca latte di gallina. "

u Malmantile is placed on a hillock, and whoso turns
his eyes that way will say that the founders were minded
to make the eighth wonder of the world. The vast
territory subject to the castle is not known (I bet) for a
thousand miles round. There is excellent air and a blue
sky, and even the milk of hens is not wanting."

Thus writes Lorenzo Lippi in his // Malmantile
Racqtiistato, the mock-heroic poem, dear to every Tuscan,
which has made the old castle celebrated. Few other
people would have the patience to wade through 428
pages, full of not only Tuscanisms, but Florentinisms, if
I may coin the word. The painter, famous for his wit
and power of repartee, used to stay in a villa near by
with his friend Alessandro Valori, and employed his
leisure hours in writing the poem on Malmantile, which
word signifies a worn-out tablecloth \ the proper names
in the poem are nearly all anagrams, more or less witty,
and the allegory seems to point the moral that those who
lead a life of feasting and gaiety generally die on a dung-
hill. The proverb, Andare a Malmantile (Going to
Malmantile), is used as a gibe against avaricious persons
who do not give their friends enough to eat.

From the archives in Florence we learn that on the

The Valley of the Arno. 51

5th of May, 1424, "The Most Honourable Ten, over-
seers of the city, and of the districts of Pisa, Pistoja,
Volterra, and other places, made a statement to the
Signory of Florence that the castle of Malmantile di
Selva was unfinished and a discredit to the noble Re-
public, as well as a danger; so on the 16th of September
of the same year a contract was signed and sealed
between the Honourable Ten and Piero di Curradino,
and Ambruogio di Lionardo, master masons, before the
Florentine notary, Antonio di Puccino di Ser Andrea.
The maestri undertook to finish the castle with machico-
lations and towers similar to those of Lastra a Signa, and
also to make a deep ditch round the fortress."

There is a tradition that Malmantile was unsuccessfully
besieged by the Prince of Orange and his Spaniards, but
I can find no confirmation of it.

The old castle is in ruins, and wretched hovels, which
have sprung up like mushrooms, are tacked on to the
walls. The people are miserably poor, but smiling and
pleasant ; on our admiring the singing of a pretty girl,
whose blue cotton frock was better made than those of
her companions, her mother said, with evident pride, but
with an accent which tried to be disapproving, " Si, e
come il cuculo, tutto voce and penne " (Yes, she is like
the cuckoo, all voice and feathers), which we thought
was apt enough.

The sun was declining, and the civetta (passerine

52 Italian Sketches.

owl) was beginning to utter its melancholy cry, so with
a last look at the picturesque old ruin we turned our
horses' heads towards the City of Flowers, and drove
home.

1 ■ The skies yet blushing with departed light,
When falling dews with spangles deck the glade,
And the low sun had lengthen'd every shade."

mil

1 1 V %

I Mil !i?; ^il ,

•v •W///lwMvfl~ » y — "w~

>*>.$

POPULAR SONGS OF TUSCANY

POPULAR SONGS OF TUSCANY.

"La gentil Toscana? as her friends lovingly call her, is
certainly the land of song. Every one sings, from the
highest to the lowest, and all can join in the chorus of
the popular stornelli — born, one knows not where — which
crop up every spring with the flowers, and every autumn
with the ripening grapes. It is difficult to get the people
to sing their rispetti or stornelli for you. They will not
believe that any one can care for their roba antica, or old
stuff; and as to repeating the words — " Questa va in
canto in discorso non si puol dire " (This does for singing,
but one cannot say the words), will be their answer. The
peasants, the bricklayers, carpenters, etc., generally sing
at their work, and the stornello particularly is pressed
into every variety of service. The lover serenades his
mistress with burning words of love ; the disappointed
suitor, as he passes the house of his successful rival, or
of the faithless fair one, insults or upbraids with a
stornello ; two women quarrel — they instantly begin to
stornellare each other, ridiculing personal defects, or
voiding family quarrels in the choicest Tuscan.

54 Italian Sketches.

The rispetto is, almost without exception, a love-song
in six, eight, or ten lines. The music is melancholy,
often in the minor key, and some of the old airs are like
a recitative, the end notes being drawn out as long as
possible ; some of them sound very like Eastern airs.

How it is that no musician has ever taken the trouble
to note down the music of the real popular songs, I
cannot imagine. Gordigiani, Campani, Palloni, and many
other maestri have composed music to the old words,
or to modern imitations of them, but their rispetti and
stornelli are very unlike the genuine thing. The old airs
are difficult to catch, and still more difficult to note ; but I
have succeeded in making a considerable collection, some
from the peasants in the country, some from friends, and
others from hackney coachmen, masons, etc., in Florence.
The inhabitants of the San Frediano and San Nicolb
quarters of the town are reckoned the best singers, and
a guitar is to be seen in nearly every house on the
southern, or unfashionable side of the Arno. New songs
are composed by the people every year, and on fine
summer nights one often meets a silent crowd of one
or two hundred people following three or four men with
guitars, and perhaps a flute. You ask an explanation.
" E Oreste che canta " (It is Oreste who is singing) is
the answer. Some of them have beautiful voices and
sing wonderfully well. I know of a young mason with
a tenor voice who was offered ^400 a year — a large sum

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 55

in Florence — if he would learn to sing for the stage ; but
he preferred his liberty, and refused. As the singers
pass slowly through the streets, you hear the noise of
opening windows far ahead, and occasionally a loud
" bene ! " or " bravo ! " comes from above, generally
acknowledged by the little band stopping a few minutes
to finish their song. One of the well-known singers in
Florence at the present moment unites the incongruous
occupations of a butcher and a flower vendor. In
winter he kills oxen and lambs, and in summer he sells
flowers. When he sleeps I know not, as he sings nearly
all night long in the different people's cafes and in the
streets with his companions.

G. Tigri, one of the most elegant among modern
writers, has made an excellent collection of the words
of stornelli and rispetti. The rispetto may be defined as
a respectful (rispettoso) salutation from a lover to his
mistress, or vice versd. The following is an example : —

" Vi vengo a salutare, rosa gentile,
Vera delizia del giardin d'amore.
Decco qua il vostro servo umile e vile,
Chi v'a donato la sua vita e il cuore.
A voi s'inclina reverente e umile,
Come si deve a un fedel servitore ;
Pero ti prego, rosa colorita,
Sarai cagion ch'io perdero la vita ? "

("I come to greet thee, gentle rose, that solely
The true delight of love's fair garden art :

56 Italian Sketches.

Look down upon thy slave, so poor and lowly,
Who hath to thee given up his life and heart.
To thee he bows him down in reverence holy,
Fulfilling so a faithful servant's part ;
But yet I pray thee, rose of brightest hues,
Wouldst thou be cause that I my life should lose ? ')

Here is a charming description of the seven beauties a

woman ought to possess : —

" Sette bellezze vuol' aver la donna :
Prima — che bella si possa chiamare ;
Alta dev' esser senza la pianella,
E bianca e rossa senza su' lisciare ;
Larga di spalla e stretta in cinturella ;
La bella bocca, e il bel nobil parlare.
Se poi si tira su le bionde trecce,
Decco la donna di sette bellezze."

("The perfect woman should have beauties seven :
Before she have the right to be called fair —
Tall she should be, without her slippers even ;
Of red and white in which paint claims no share.
To shoulders broad a thin waist should be given ;
From sweet lips, sweet and noble speech must fare :
If, besides these, she should be golden-tressed,
Behold the maid with the seven beauties blessed ! ")

Again, the lover hears the moon lamenting the loss of

two of her stars. She complains to Cupid, and refuses

to remain in the sky : —

" La luna s'e venuta a lamentare,
Inde la faccia del divino Amore ;
Dice che in cielo non ci vuol piu stare ;
Che tolto gliel' avete lo splendore.
E si lamenta, e si lamenta forte ;
L' ha conto le sue stelle, non son tutte.

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 57

E gliene manca due, e voi f avete ;

Son que' du' occhi che in fronte tenete ! "

(" The moon has come to make her lamentation ;
Before the face of Cupid she doth bend her :
No more i' the sky, she says, she'll hold her station,
Because that you have robbed her of her splendour.
And still her loud lament on this doth bear,
That when she counts her stars, all are not there.
There are two missing — and the theft is thine :
They are the two eyes in thy face that shine.")

Generally speaking, the last two lines of the rispetto
are repetitions in altered words of the two former ones.
It is difficult to render the tender grace, the perfect
simplicity, and the purity of language and of style, in a
translation. The peasants, shepherds, and charcoal-
burners of the Pistoian mountains speak to this day the
Italian, or rather the Tuscan, of the great poets. They
read Tasso in the winter nights, sitting round the big
open fireplace ; the scholar of the house reads aloud ;
and the verse of the gentle poet may perhaps live longer
under the fir-trees of the Apennines than upon the
lagunes of Venice. The children learn long passages
by heart, and the recognized declaration of love by a
young peasant is his singing the ottave rime of Tasso
under the window of the girl he purposes to court with
a" view to marriage. The songs which come from the
mountains are not more remarkable for the beauty of
their language than for their delicacy and the respect for
women which they breathe. Thus : —

58 Italian Sketches.

" Se dormi, o se non dormi, viso adorno,
Alza la bionda e delicata testa —
Ascolta lo tuo amor che tu hai d' intorno,
Dice che tu ti affacci alia finestra ;
Ma non ti dice che tu vada fuora,
Perche la notte e cosa disonesta :
Facciati alia finestra, e stanne in casa,
Perch'io sto fuora, e fo — 1' inserenata.
Facciati alia finestra, e stanne dentro,
Perch'io sto fuora, e faccio un gran lamento."

("Sleep'st thou, or wak'st thou, sweet face of my dearest?
Lift that fair head in all its delicate beauty —
List to the love that to thy heart sits nearest —
He tells thee that to look out is thy duty :
But tells thee not to come out in the gloaming,
For night is not the time for maiden's roaming :
But look out from the casement of thy chamber,
Because I stand and sing, nor think to clamber.
Look from thy casement — to this prayer consenting,
Because I stand without, and make a great lamenting.")

In autumn there is a considerable emigration of the
able-bodied men from the hills above Pistoia and the
country round Siena to the Maremma, to find work.
They push on as far as Elba, Corsica, and Sardinia,
where they are employed as miners, wood-cutters, char-
coal-burners, and road-makers. But the love they bear
to their Apennines never waxes dim, and they generally
keep together in bands from the same village or district.
In spring they return with their carefully hoarded earn-
ings to their families. This yearly wandering has given
rise to many of their songs. The following is the parting
song of a young lover to his sweetheart : —

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 59

"Quando die mi partii dal mi' paese,
Lasciai piangendo la mi 'nnamorata,
Et P era tanto bella e si cortese,
Chi prese a domandar della tornata.
E gli risposi con poche parole :
La tornata sara quando Dio vuole ;
E gli risposi con parole umile :
La tornata sara fra maggio e aprile ! "

("When from my village I was boun' for starting,
I parted from my love with salt tears burning,
So fair and courteous in that hour of parting
Was she, she questioned me of my returning,
And I made brief reply to my heart's treasure,
That my return would be at God's good pleasure ;
And I made her reply, in humble way,
I would return 'twixt April-tide and May.")

The girl whose lover has gone sings : —

" Come faranno i mi' occhi beati
A star lontan da voi cinque o sei mesi ?
Come faranno, che so' innamorati ?
A noia gli verran queste paesi :
A noia gli verran questi contorni :
Sempre preghero 1' ciel che tu ritorni.
A noia gli verran cheste giornate :
Sempre preghero V ciel che ritorniate."

(" What will these eyes do, late so blest in seeing,
With my love from me five or six months parted ?
What will they do, to whom love was their being ?
How will they loathe the hamlet whence he started,
The country round about how they'll be spurning !
My constant prayer shall be for thy returning.
How heavily the days will pass, alack !
The while I pray Heaven for thy coming back. ")

Her lover replies : —

6d Italian Sketches.

"Tornero, tornero, non dubitare,
Caro mio bene, non aver paura,
Che a breve tempo mi vedrai tornare :
Che impressa porto ognor la tua figura.
Allor ti cessero, bella, d' amare,
Quando morto saro in sepoltura."

("I'll return, I'll return ; fear not that, my own dearie,
With never a doubt let thy heart be distrest,
That after brief absence again I'll be near thee, .
And till then thy face I bear stamped on my breast,
Nor e'er will I cease in my heart's core to wear thee,
Till dead in the cold of the tomb I'm at rest")

A number of the letters written during these long

absences are in rhyme, either composed by the young

people themselves, or, if they cannot write, by the

village poet, who has a large custom, and for a few pence

writes the letter in prose or in verse, and even paints

some fitting symbol on the first page — such as a heart

transfixed by a dart, two hearts bound by a chain, two

vases of flowers, or two wreaths. Some of these letters

have been collected and printed by G. Tigri and by

Tommaseo. Those which invoke the aid of the swallow

are particularly pretty, begging the bird who comes from

the sea to stay her flight, and to give the disconsolate

lover a feather from her lovely wing, wherewith to write

to his love a golden letter : promising to give back the

amorous feather to the swallow, and begging her to carry

the letter safely to his lady love. Another complains

that he tried to write the name he loves, but the pen was

so full of melancholy and the inkstand of sorrow, that

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 6i

he never could succeed, adding that if the waters of the
sea were ink, the earth paper, and all the grass that
grows on it pens, he would still need more sheets of
paper to tell the immensity of his love.

Many of the phrases and comparisons in these letters
are taken from the old rispetti and stomelli, which every
peasant learns by heart as a child, together with the
proverbs in which Tuscany is so rich. Some, again, have
doubtless descended for generations, and the lover has
only to change a name, and the colour of the hair and
eyes, to make his letter suitable. Others are descriptions
of the Maremma and of the work doing, or of Rome, the
" city of eternal beauty."

The rispetti have a likeness to the ancient strambotti
(derived from Strani Motti), which used to be sung in
Sicily in Manfred's time, and I believe that in some
parts of Tuscany the peasants still use the latter name
for their songs. They were successfully imitated by
Pulci, Poligiani, and Lorenzo the Magnificent, some of
whose sonnets are even now popular.

In the villages the old custom of andare a veglia
still exists. At nightfall the young men go in companies
to houses where there are young girls, to sing and dance ;
some of their dances are accompanied by songs, such
as La Galletta and La Veneziana. The dancers sing
two lines, and the musician then plays the ricordino, or
intercalare, a sort of quick refrain, generally in the minor

62 ' Italian Sketches.

key, while the young people dance round him in couples.
The following are favourite words to these dance airs : —

" La bella ballerina e entrata in ballo,
Mirala un po' come la balla bene !
Mirala al collo'se le' ci ha il corallo ;
La bella ballerina e entrata in ballo.
Mirala al petto se le' ci ha il bel fiore ;
La bella ballerina e col suo amore.
Mirala in dito se le' ci ha il diamante ;
La bella ballerina e col suo amante,
Mirala in petto se le' ci ha la rosa ;
La bella ballerina e fatta sposa. "

("The graceful dancer hath come to the dancing.
Look at her — only look — how well she dances !
Look at her neck, what coral on it glancing !
The graceful dancer hath come to the dancing.
Look at her breast, how sweet a flower is there !
The graceful dancer now is with her dear.
Look at her hand, which rings of diamond cover ;
The graceful dancer now is with her lover.
Look, how her rosy breast the roses hide,
The graceful dancer hath become a bride.")

Other dances, as the Trescone, the Villan di Spagna, the
Manfrina, the Marina, the Contraddanza, the Bergamasca,
the Paesana, the Milordina, the Moresca, etc., have each
their peculiar air, but no words ; except the Vita d' oro,
when the man sings on ceasing to dance : —

" O vita d' oro, vita d' argento !

Dammi la mano, che son contento ! "

(" Oh, life of golden, life of silver store !

Give me thy hand, and I will ask no more.")

Popular Songs of Tuscany, 63

The ancient custom of going round and serenading the
young girls on the last night of April still lingers in some
Tuscan villages. The old Florentine writers describe
the splendid festivals in town and country for the Calen
di Maggio, and the songs called Maggi. The peasants
in out-of-the-way villages still plant a branch of some
flowering shrub before the doors of their sweethearts, or
carry a kind of Maypole, Maw, adorned with fresh
flowers and lemons, and sing in chorus, while the lover
presents a small nosegay to his mistress : —

" Or e di maggio, e fiorito e il limone ;
Noi salutiamo di casa il padrone.
Ora e di maggio, e gli e fiorito i rami ;
Salutiam le ragazze co' suoi dami.
Ora e di maggio, che fiorito e i fiori ;
Salutiam le ragazze co' suoi amore."

(" May-day is come — the lemon is in flower :
Greet we the house-master, in happy hour.
Now it is May, and blooms on boughs are hoar :
We greet each maiden and her bachelor.
Now May is come — earth its flower-carpet covers :
Our greeting to the young girls and their lovers.")

Till within a few years ago the young people of both
sexes used to join together in companies on the evening
of the 1 st of May, and serenade their friends, or the
padrone, or any other benefactor they wished to honour.
They improvised stornelli and rispetti to the accompani-
ment of a violin, a guitar or two, and a tambourine, and
wore bunches of gay-coloured silk ribbons on their hats

64 Italian Sketches.

and on their shoulders. The following is a serenade to
a young married couple, probably the padrone and his
young bride : —

' ' Alzando gli occhi al cielo veddi il sole
Accompagnato da una chiara Stella,
Che sotto gli occhi miei facea splendore :
Non ho mai visto una coppia si bella.
Scusin, signori, s'io ho fatto errore
Colla mia rozza semplice favella.
Cola verdeggia una fiorita rosa,
Donna gentile, delicata sposa :
Preghero sempre la divina Madre,
Che faccia vi figlio che somigli il padre ! "

("I raised mine eyes to heaven, the sun was glowing,
With but one star beside his course so fair,
That as I looked its splendour still seemed growing.
Never a couple have I seen so rare.
But pardon, signors, if I, all unknowing,
Have erred in this my speech so poor and bare ;
So blooms a rose, the flower of summer-tide,
As does this gentle dame, this dainty bride ;
Still will I pray to our sweet Lady-Mother,
A son to send as his sire such another.")

When any one begins to sing stornelli (derived probably
from the word storno, which means to send back or re-
echo), he generally starts with an invitation or defiance,
to induce his companions to reply to his song. In the
old times the accepted term was Ecce, and the answer,
Comma (begin). It was thus Burchiello, the cele-
brated barber of the Via Calimara, where the rich cloth
merchants of Florence had their shops, used to challenge

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 65

his friends to sing. Such men as Filippo Brunelleschi,
who built the dome of the cathedral of Florence ; Luc a
della Robbia, and his family ; Orcagna, and his scholars ;
Lorenzo Ghiberti, who made the doors of the Baptistry
— doors, said Michael Angelo, worthy of Paradise — were
the friends of Burchiello. Gifted with a fine voice and
feeling for music, with a biting tongue and ready wit, the
barber's songs were the terror of his enemies and the
delight of the people. To this day a certain class of
songs are called burchielleschi.

Near the church of Santa Croce, where Simone Memmi
and Giotto loved to work, was the beautiful Fabbrini
garden, famous for its orange trees — so famous, that a
street near was called " Canto agli Aranci " (Corner of
the Oranges) ; and here it was that the improvisatori most
loved to congregate and challenge each other to im-
provise to the guitar on any theme given by the by-
standers. A certain Cristoforo, a Florentine, surnamed
" l'Altissimo " (the Supreme), was a renowned improvi-
satore about 1480. Another improvisatore of note was
a secretary of the Republic, by name Bernardo Ascolti.
Lorenzo dei Medici was celebrated both for his skill as
a musician and as an improvisatore, and used to sing
with a friend surnamed " Cardiere," who bore him a good
second. In 1600, Doni says that singing in the open
air, in gardens and cool places, was most popular in
Florence ; and there existed a society of letterati who

F

66 Italian Sketches.

had raised the art of improvising in verse to the guitar
to such a height that Leo X. gave them the permission
to grant the title of poet, and a laurel crown, to any one
they considered worthy of such honour.

As late as 1725, Bernardino Perfetti, a Sienese, was
crowned as an improvisatore at Rome, in the Campi-
doglio ; and in 1776, Maddalena Morelli, of Pistoja,
surnamed "Corinna Olimpica," achieved the same dis-
tinction for her wonderful power of improvisation. She
had the additional honour of suggesting a heroine to
Madame de Stael. Many women have been famous for
the grace of their language and beauty of voice; and
even in these prosaic times there are a few left, whose
improvising can rouse large audiences to enthusiasm.

But to return to the stornello : it consists either of

three lines of equal length, or of a short invocation or

exclamation, and two lines by way of conclusion. The

following is in common use as a stornello to start with,

though the singer often improvises a polite defiance

suited to his company : —

" E io delli stornelli ne so tanti !
Ce n'ho da caricar sei bastimenti —
Chi ne vuol profitar si faccia avanti ! "

("Of catches I know so many, so many —
Enough, I swear, six ships to load !
Step forward, step forward — who'd have any ! ")

At the end of all the stornelli, and of a few of the
rispetti, there is a kind of refrain, or chorus, called a

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

67

rifiorita^ or passa gallo (cock's walk), sometimes with
words, sometimes without. The following is a favourite
air for the stornello a fiore, so called because it must
begin with the invocation of a flower or blossom : —
Adagio piii presto.

fc£

m

&E=£

3

^=M

Fior di li - mo - ne 1 Li - mon-e e a - gro e

I

m

3^

t=w=*t

w=£=r

^-&-fr

g-t*— fr-h

non si puol man - gia - re, Li - mo-ne e a - gro e

m

**=W-

E333&M

non si puol man - gia - re, Ma son piu a - gre

(Rifiorita.)

«=pc

T7=r^

2

■*=-*■

w=*

le pe - ne d 'a - mo - re. Sei bel - li - na, lo

^S^ggm

sen - to, lo so, Port' i cap-pel - li alia roc-co - co !
(Other Rifiorita.)

=F=f

S3

*-£— K

afc=*

-^— > — wt— mh

Pi - glia la ro - sa e la - sciar star la fo - glia,

Ho tan-ta vo-glia di far all' a-morcon te

68 Italian Sketches.

" Fior di limone !
Limone e agro e non si puol mangiare,
Ma son piu agre le pene d'amore.

(Rifiorita.)
" Sei bellina, lo sento, lo so,
Port' i cappelli alia roccoco !

" Fior di granato !
Se li sospiri miei fossero fuoco,
Tutto il mondo sarebbe bruciato.

{Rifiorita.)
" Piglia la rosa e lasciar star la foglia,
Ho tanta voglia di far all' amor con te !

(" Lemon blossom !

The lemon it is bitter, too bitter for eating,
But bitterer his pain that loves thee, sweeting.

" Fair is my darling, I feel it and I know,
And wears her hair dressed a la rococo.

" Pomegranate blossom !
If a flame of fire were the sighs I sigh,
All the world would be burnt thereby.

Gather the roses, and let the leaves be,
Dearly I love to make love to thee ! ")

The following air is more popular in the city than in
the country, and is often used for improvising insulting
words, for which the common people of Tuscany have no
little facility : —

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

69

1

i*

»

&|

s

5ZgZ3

E que- sta stra - da,
Di rose e fio re

la vo' mat - to
la vor - re' co

n

Il^SSB

5

na - re, Di ro- se e
pri - re, D'ac-qua

(RlFIORITA.)

pri - re, Tu sei bel - li

na - re.

tu sa -rai mia

spo - sa,Tuseibel - li - na, l'i- do-lomiosei tu.

But the pretty and anything but insulting words which
we give, are often sung to it : —

" E questa strada, la vo' mattonare ;
Di rose e fiori la vorre' coprire ;
D'acqua rosata la vorre' bagnare.

Tu sei bellina, tu sarai mia sposa,
Tu sei bellina, 1' idolo mio sei tu ! "

(" Of the street where thou livest, I'd fain have the paving.
With roses and sweet flowers I'd cover it o'er,
With water of roses, too, everywhere laving !

For 'tis thou art my beauty — my bride thou shalt be,
My beauty— I'll make my soul's idol of thee ! ")

At the risk of wearying my readers, I give this stornello
alia Pisana, or according to the fashion of Pisa, where
the street singing is celebrated, and all the songs full of

7o

Italian Sketches.

flourishes (fioriture), turns and runs (girigogoli). Take
for example the peasant's song : —

Quan-do na-sces - te voi
La lu - na si fer - mo

nac- que
nel ca

un bel
mi-

l*3S

ss§

^=*

7Ft=*m

no
na

- re.

- re)

■wh-+

La lu - na si fer - mb
Le stel-le si can-gia

O Bion -di - na, co - me la

^3

Sen-za la

la la

" Quando nasceste voi nacque un bel fiore.
La luna si fermo nel caminare,
Le stelle si cangiaron di colore.
{Rifiorita.)
" O Biondina, come la va,
Senza la vela la barca non va ! "

(" When thou wert born a flower came to completeness ;
The moon stopped in its course, thy beauty seeing ;
The stars changed colour at sight of thy sweetness.

" My fair-haired beauty, how is't with thee ? say :
Without the sail, the boat may not make way ! ")

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

7*

But my space will not allow me to give more examples
of the innumerable words and airs of the stornelli. I must
not pass over without mention the patriotic songs, nearly
all dating from 1848. Curiously enough, there are hardly
any rispetti or stornelli containing patriotic sentiments.
A few mention the Turks and barbarians, and complain
how they carried away "La Bella Rosina" to slavery;
or a girl on shore curses the Turkish chains which keep
her love from returning to her arms. These point to the
old days of the Saracen or Sallee Rover, the constant
and daring ravager of the Mediterranean shores in the
fifteenth and two following centuries.

But 1848 brought new life to the patriotic sentiment
of Italy, and quite changed for the time the character of
its national poetry and music. Garibaldi became the
hero and inspirer of popular minstrelsy, and those who
joined him the objects of popular ovation. One of the
best known and most popular of these patriotic songs is
that of the Tuscan volunteers, as they marched to the
field of battle when the cause of Italia una hung in the
balance : —

L'ADDIO DEL VOLONTARIO.

^

it

T=t

*=&

Ad - dio, mia bel - la, ad - di - - o,
Da Capo.

m

f3

l'ar

:p=£

2±

^=H*

t=t

^±J

ma - ta se

Se non par-tissi an -

72 Italian Sketches.

i

T-&-

§^?

-F-^r

ch' io sa - reb - be u - na vil - ta.

" Addio, mia bella, addio !
L'armata se ne va.
Se non partissi anch' io,
Sarebbe una vilta.

" Grandi saranno l'ire,
Grande il morir sara ;
Si mora ! E' un bel morire
Morir per liberta !

" Non e fraterna guerra
La guerra ch' io faro ;
Dall' Italiana terra
L' estrano caccer6."

(•• Adieu, adieu, my fair one !
The army takes the field ;
If I did not march with it,
A coward I were sealed.

" Oh ! great will be our fury,
And great our death will be.
If death comes, 'tis brave dying
To set our country free.

"It is no war 'twixt brothers,
The war to which I go,
But from the land of Italy
To drive the foreign foe.")

So rang the chorus day and night for weeks and months,
as the volunteers marched through the ancient streets
and squares of the City of Flowers, armed and banded
for the first time, in the inspiring cause of ''Italy one

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

73

and free." Time brought some deceptions, [some dis-
illusions, and many disagreements and dissensions.

This same song made its appearance again in 1859;
but since Italy has been united the various patriotic
songs are seldom heard, and I only succeeded in ob-
taining some of the less-known ones from the son of one
of the volunteers of 1848, who had learnt words and
tunes from his father. The following is one of them,
of which he only knew one verse : —

INNO DEL

i

*=£

Ti±

3

ft

-F— ^

^gfeggEggEgEg

V han giu - ra - to, li vi - di a Pont'

P3-

^^^fe=5

3^*

I - da, Giu ca - la - ti dal mon - te e dal pia

*=&

s

w

v h j te-fr-3— *

V &J- ' — *

-*=-*-

L' han giu - ra - to, si strin - se la

^r-4-jy^

■■z*->^S-

m.

* 2 " j "-

ma - no, Cit - ta - di - ni di cen - to cit

— k — ^5 1**^ 1 : — — —

■3

&:

- ta, Ca - ra

ta - lia, bel suol a - do -

74

Italian Sketches.

El P

3=m

5

^JEjtt^J

- ra - to, Ra - se - re - na la tua fron-te addo-lo

N=^T

^»*^

I—J-J-,

- ra - ta, Co - mo, Brescia, Mi-lan-o e var - ca - to, e fra

8*=^***

-*^ — s

po - co a Ve - ne - zia si va. . .

" L'han giurato, li vidi a Pont' Ida,
Giu calati dal monte e dal piano.
L'han giurato, si strinse la mano,
Cittadini di cento citta !
Cara Italia, bel suol adorato,
Raserena la tua fronte addolorata.
Como, Brescia, Milano e varcato,
E fra poco a Venezia si va."

(" They have sworn at Pont' Ida, I saw them,

The sons of the mountain and plain —
They have sworn, their hands grasped as they pledged them,

Five-score cities, brothers again !
Dear Italy, face of new gladness

To the sons of thy love thou may'st show ;
We have freed Como, Brescia, and Milan,

And soon to free Venice we'll go ! ")

At the Pergola, on the evening of the nth of Sep-
tember, 1847, violent enthusiasm was roused by a very
fine cantata, written by M. Mabellini, called Italia, or
Sorrow and Hope. I have often seen veterans' eyes

k-=F

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 75

dimmed with tears at the sound of those heart-stirring
words and soul-moving music. It is printed, so I do not
give it here.

Besides the rispetto, the stomello, and the patriotic
song, there is the eanzone, or song of less sharply denned
character, but always local, of which, as I have already
said, three or four new ones make their appearance every
year. Should one of these happen to take the fancy of
the public, it runs through Italy like wildfire. Now and
then a Neapolitan song comes via Rome to Florence
and all the country round, when it is nearly always
slightly changed in rhythm, generally to its advantage ;
but usually the songs are composed in and about the
City of Flowers. They seldom last more than six
months, and are then completely forgotten — so com-
pletely, that after a few years a new tune is sure to be
composed for any words that hit the public fancy. One
of the Neapolitan songs just mentioned held undisputed
sway in the streets of Florence and in the villages along
the Arno for nearly a year : a case of almost unprece-
dented popularity. I have no doubt that many of my
readers will have heard the air ; indeed, it has, I believe,
since its sudden spring into popularity, been arranged
(i.e. spoilt) by a Neapolitan composer :. —

76

Italian Sketches.

PALUMELLA.

1

Si

®=±

W

im

Pa - lu - mel - la, zom-pa e vo - la, Sul- le

"■hi1 — — . s s-

^^

§

es

-*— *-

brae - cie di Nen- na mi - - a Che taggio a

e£

&

p=^

&

-#^*

^

at rt

-fc --

di - ce - re, che non mo mo - ro, W U Pa - lu -

A (Passagallo.)

if^S^£^£g=ppg

mel - la, Pa - lu- mel-la, pen - sa - ci tu. . . 1 ra la

fe^SiSSl^

§

j>-i — fe-fc

s£

la la la la la la la la la la la Tra la

fe^^S^^I

la la la la la la la la la la la la.

1 ' Palumella, zompa e vola,
Sulle braccie di Nenna mia.
Che taggio a dicere, che non mo moro.
Palumella, Palumella, pensaci tu.

Tra la la.

Io ne vengo da Palermo
Pe trovar la Nenna mia,

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 77

Ma gli occhi lucidi son malandrini,

M'hanno rubato, m'hanno rubato, lu cor a me."

(" Woodpigeon, woodpigeon, up with thee — off with thee,
Fly to the arms of my Nenna, my pet :
Tell her the word I send — how still I'm true to her,
Woodpigeon, woodpigeon, do not forget.

" Soon I'll be back again, back from Palermo,
To tend my own Nenna, the girl I love best ;
Though those bright eyes of hers, thief that she is for it,
Have stolen the heart of me clean from my breast ! ")

About two years ago a song came out in Florence
which had immense vogue, partly from its own beauty,
and partly on account of the half-romantic, half-comic
story attached to it — for the truth of which, however,
I cannot vouch. It was reported that a well-known
"cabby" of Florence, whose stand is at Santa Trinita,
had fallen desperately in love with a Nubian or Abys-
sinian girl, one of a batch sent over by the Khedive for
education in Florence, and that he had written the fol-
lowing song in her honour. His homage did not, how-
ever, touch her heart, as she soon afterwards married an
officer in the army. The cabman is a first-rate player
on the guitar, and has a nephew who sings remarkably
well, with a very sweet, high, tenor voice. Be the story
true or false, The Queen of the Desert took the town by
storm, and nothing else was heard from morning to
night, and from night to morning. The beginning

78

Italian Sketches.

should be sung with fire and energy ; the end slower and
much emphasized : —

REGINA DEL DESERTO.

fi^^t^P§jg*f^E#

Fug-gia-mo nel de - ser

to, Fug - gia-mo, a-

^

^

3=

w.

^m

man - te mi

O - gni sen - tie - roea-

^m

-$*>-

- per

to, Se tu ver - rai con

Piano.

fe

gP^g^Sl

r— N

Se tu ver - rai con me,

Se

td^\J3msm^£

f

tu ver - rai con me. . . . Fug - gia - mo,

fefa=a=j

^m

2:

J=K

^=*

per - che vit - ti - ma, Io res - te - rei con

£

'-W=F

S=i£

^^-

tiZtt

fci±=fc

te, .

Fug - gia - mo, per - che vit - ti

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

79

I

S^ta

;zz*-

^f

ii

- ma, Io res - te

con te. .

Fuggiamo nel deserto,
Fuggiamo, amante mia,
Ogni sentiero e aperto,
Se tu verrai con me {bis).

Fuggiamo, perche vittima,

Io resterei con te !

: Come barchetto errante
Abbandonato al vento,
Noi non avremo avanti
Che un solo duce, il cor {bis).
Sia tempio il firmamento,
Sia nume, pace e amor.

' II canto degli augelli
Sia l'inno tuo nunziale,
Un serto, su i capelli,
Di rose io ti faro {bis).

Regina del deserto

Io ti saluter6 ! "

1 Forth to the desert lonely,
My loved one, let us flee :

One road for us, one only,

The road thou go'st with me : {bis)

Away ! a willing victim,
I'll give my life for thee.

; Even as a boat careering
Before the wind is blown ;

No pilot for our steering,

But two fond hearts alone {bis) ;

Our church of Heaven's own rearing,
Our god, Love, on his throne.

8o

Italian Sketches.

" The birds thy bride-song singing,
Shall chaunt from leafage green ;

With rosebuds of my stringing
I'll crown thy tresses' sheen {bis) :

My homage to thee bringing,
I'll hail thee Desert Queen.")

The comic songs of Tuscany are sui generis. The
airs are often very slight, and their charm entirely
consists in the bright espiegle way of singing — or, I
might almost say, reciting them. The bright eyes
sparkle, and the mobile mouth is curved with laughter ;
even the guitar seems to be animated with fun and
merriment. This summer the comic song is a bitter
complaint that Mariannina had jilted the singer, ending
in an imperative request to pull his leg hard when he
gets into the railway carriage and goes to Turin — utter
nonsense, but jovial, rattling music. Comic songs are
generally restricted to one new one a year. I have
chosen the following, which was popular about four or
five years ago, as a specimen, the air being prettier than
the later ones : —

fc*

Se ti pia
Se ti pia

ce 1' In - sa
ce il ca - fe

la - ti - na,
col 1' o -vo,

£

as

i

Vie -ni in cu - ci
O - ra ti pro

na, vie - ni in cu - ci

vo, o - ra ti pro

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

Si

m^

na,
vo,

Se
Se

pia
pia

ce
- ceil

Tin
ca ■

£

3

-£3S

a

*=*

sa - la - ti - na,
fe col 1' o - vo,

Vie -ni in cu - ci
O - ra ti pro

na,
vo,

Te
se

m

^m£

3=^:

m

* ' v^^

la
mi

da
vuoi

ro,
ben

Ma

pian - ge - re,

no, no no no no no no no non

&

m

pian-ge - re,

No, no no no non pian - ge

w^m

m

■£=*.

¥

re

ne

spi

" Se ti piace 1' insalatina,
Vieni in cucina ; te la dar6 —
Ma no, non piangere ne sospirar.

" Se ti piace '1 caffe col l'ovo,
Ora ti provo se mi vuoi ben.
Ma no, non piangere, ne sospirar."

("If for salad you've a will, sir,

Come in the kitchen and eat your fill, sir :
Let's have no crying, no sighing, pray !

82

Italian Sketches.

" If you've a fancy for coffee and eggs, sir,
I'll soon feed your passion, i' fegs, sir-
But let's have no crying, no sighing, pray.")

And so the verses run through the whole round of
cupboard-love's temptations which a clever cook can
hold out to a hungry wooer.

There are two other favourite comic songs— the first
purely Tuscan, the second adapted from the Roman,
and now popular in Tuscany — which admit of, and
indeed Require infinite expression and archness in the
singer.

Allegro.

sill;

*

m

^s

m — w

0 0.

£f

Mi son fat - to un ves - ti

I

3=3:

±±j±

m

ti - no, mes - so

*~dz*-*-wtMz

3

si, pa-ga - to, no.

E mi sen-to ti-ra-tadi

^

P5=^

*=w=w

s^^=5

5

^=tc

die - tro, He, ra - gaz - zi - na, pa - ga - te mi un

i^^pp^g^

^-u

po\ Vie-ni sta - se - ra,Do-ma-ni se - ra, Sa-ha-to

0 0''0'w ■+ 0

se - ra, Do-me- ni - ca, n6 ! E co - si s'in-gan-nal'a

Popular Songs of Tuscany.

83

p

;Ha-^

a;

«s

g- -J

man - te, Pri-ma di si, e poi di no !

Mi son fatto un vestitino,

Messo si, pagato, n6 :
E mi sento tirata di dietro,
* He, ragazzina, pagate mi un poV

* Vieni stasera,
Domani sera,

Sabato sera,

Domenica, n6 ! ' .
E cosi s'inganna l'amante,

Prima di ' si,' e poi di ' no,'

" Mi son fatto un capettino,
(Giubettino, giacchetino.)

{etc. , da capo, )

(* ' A duck of a dress I had ordered —
Ordered it, yes — paid for it — no :
When twitch, comes a pull at my jacket,
And a ' Come, my girl, pay what you owe ! '
11 Call in the evening —
Call in the morning ;
Saturday evening —
Sunday — no go !
*' And so we go cheating our lovers,

First with a ' yes,' and then with a ' no ! ' "

" A duck of a cape I had ordered,"
Jacket, overcoat, etc.)

For the song may run through the whole contents of
the female wardrobe.

Here is a Neapolitan comic song Tuscanized : —

84

Italian Sketches.

Con brio.

SE3

£

2zt

K33

*=i*P

--£— g:

Quand' un uom' ha mess' i

baf - - fi,

^aa^^ai

Ha bi-so-gnodi mu - lie - ra, Non c'e mo-do ne ma

I

S fc AJ Ms=s

3

*—*.

Ma la fem-mi - na ci vn6.

- me - ra,

^^

£

^

»kdd=3

atr*

Ma le fern - mi- ne son tutt' am - fan - fa - ri,

—J I «b_*:

So - no tut - t' u - no eu - lo

SeSS

S5

£=9:

ffi

E quan - no fan - no a - mo - re,

Si lo

*=*

~* I #-rJ

E3E^

feS

c

fan - no per se spas - sar. Le fern - mi - ne son

^^3313

BE

5S

5Ei

fan, fan, fan, fan, fan so- no tut-t'u- no cu - lo - re, E

m

£JH*-ft-ft

W&:

*-*-*-»!-

^

quan-no fan-no a- mo - re, Lo fan -no per se spas - sar.

Popular Songs of Tuscany. 85

" Quand' un uom' ha mess' i baffi,
Ha bisogno di muliera :

Non c'e modo ne maniera,

Ma la femmina ci vuo.
Ma le femmine son tutt' amfanfari —

Sono tutt'uno culore ;

E quanno fanno amore,
Si lo fanno per se spassar —

Le femmine son fan — fan — fan — fan —
Sono tutt', etc. (da capo.) "

(" When a youngster grows his whiskers,

'Tis women he must care for :

Without a why or wherefore

He must be a lady's man !
But the women they are humbugs ;

They're all bread of one baking :

And when love they are making,

They make it all for fun !
The women are hum — hum — hum — hum —

They're all bread of one baking.") (etc., da capo.)

But enough of attempts to translate the untranslatable.
After all has been done that can be done by help of the
most literal equivalent of the words, and most careful
noting of the music, none but those who have lived
among the Tuscan people can know what the Tuscan
popular songs really are. Not till we hear them from
Tuscan lips, to the simple accompaniment of the guitar,
and perhaps a flute, in the open air, under the serene
blue sky of evening, or the cloudless Tuscan moon,
amidst the perfume of the lemon and growing grapes,
and, above all, with the sweet, spontaneous, unaffected

86 Italian Sketches.

Italian singing, like the singing of birds, so effortless it
sounds and so irrepressible, can we really appreciate the
charm of these songs — their simple pathos and old-world
purity, their innocent playfulness, their shrewd humour,
and their depths of sweet and sincere feeling.

THE GHETTO.

THE GHETTO OF FLORENCE.

A characteristic portion of old Florence will soon be
a thing of the past ; the Ghetto, where but a few months
ago no decent person could enter without a guardian-
angel in the shape of a policeman, stands empty and
deserted, doomed to disappear like the ancient city walls.
Out of the gay streets radiant with sunshine, the shops
full of carnival finery, masks, dominoes, bonbons, and
bouquets, we passed from the .Piazza dell' Olio, under
a large archway, and found ourselves in the Piazza della
Fraternita. Tall and dark, the houses towered above
us, doorless and windowless ; on one side was a fine iron
balcony, a relic of former splendour, and over a doorway,
built of blocks of stone in the fashion of the fourteenth
century, was a small shield with the Medici arms and
scrittojo (counting-house) carved underneath. This was
one of the houses of that great family before they be-
came the rulers of their native city.

From the silent, sad square we dived into the Chiasso
del Piovano, a narrow alley leading to a wee courtyard
with dingy cells all round, into which one would not put

88 Italian Sketches.

a dog to sleep ; yet in some of these horrible holes two
and even three families had been crowded together. Up
a narrow staircase, lit by small apertures through which
the brilliant rays of the sun illuminated patches of the
dirty walls, causing the rest to appear still more dark and
grim, we followed our guide, and at length found our-
selves in a charming room, frescoed with garlands of
vines and dancing bacchante; traces of gilding still
shone on the ceiling, and it was like an oasis of gaiety
and life in the midst of the abandoned squalor around.
A hole had been knocked in the wall, and we wandered
through a labyrinth of rooms, narrow passages, and stair-
cases, until we came to a fine doorway with a Hebrew
inscription above, which had been the Jewish school.
With the aid of matches and a lantern we went in single
file down a narrow, tortuous lane on the first floor, with
street-doors up two or more steps opening out of it, and
at last down a flight of steps into a square, with a large,
double-handled pump in the centre. This is the Piazza
della Fontana, surrounded with what once were palaces
of the Della Tosa and Tosinghi families; grim and
mournful-looking, as though lamenting their long-lost
splendour. Nine stories high they tower above one,
shutting out sun and wind, and the impression of utter
desolation and stillness given by the empty embrasures
of the windows and doors was almost oppressive.

A good staircase led up to a suite of fine rooms, whose

The Ghetto of Florence. 89

small balconies looked down on the Mercato Vecchio,
the old market-place, which in the Longobard time was
called "Foro del Re" (Forum of the King) and after-
wards surrounded with the palaces and towers of the great
Florentine families. After the battle of Monteaperti in
1260, the Ghibellines expelled the Guelphs from Florence,
and destroyed the great palace and tower of the
Tosinghi, two palaces and towers of the Delia Tosa, a
palace belonging to a son of Ugo dei Medici, and many
others.

Retracing our steps, we crossed the Piazza della
Fontana, and mounting a narrow flight of stairs, found
ourselves in a large, vaulted room, with innumerable
passages leading in every direction. A few broad steps
led into the Synagogue, a lofty, finely proportioned room,
with a double row of latticed galleries, whence the
Jewesses used to hear service ; the ceiling was in ruins,
and the whole place dismantled. Descending by a narrow
back staircase, we came into a small courtyard made
more gloomy by overhanging passages and small rooms
built high above. The black walls to our left was one of
the palaces of the Brunelleschi, that great family who
at one time almost ruled Florence, and held vast posses-
sions in and near the city. The tall, narrow doorway
of the twelfth century had been bricked up, and other
openings made, which led into pitch-dark, vaulted rooms,
damp, and covered with moss and dirt. I groped up

go Italian Sketches.

a narrow staircase, and, from a low, vaulted room like a
prison, looked out of a small window into the busy
Piazza dei Brunelleschi, where once stood the ancient
church of San Leo, suppressed some ninety years ago.
The little square is now the chief market for chestnuts,
and was full of life and gaiety. A strange contrast to
the dismal place we were in. Whole families had lived
in these dark rooms, and with the help of the lantern
we could distinguish in one or two corners the few
bricks that had served as fireplaces. Over one of
the doors outside, some wag had written under a half-
effaced coat of arms : Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che
^titrate. Sad words, well suited to the unhappy Jews
in old times.

Just opposite the old Brunelleschi Palace, under an
overhanging passage sustained by three slender stone
columns, was a well-known lodging-house, l'Androne,
frequented by the very scum of Florence. A bed cost
a halfpenny, and every evening the police came at sun-
down to see that the ticket-of-leave men were 'all in.
Whenever a robbery occurred in Florence, l'Androne
was surrounded and all its inmates arrested, a proceeding
which seldom failed to attain the object of detecting the
culprit.

In 1430 the Priors of Florence, to counteract the
excessive usury of the Florentine bankers, who charged
from 30 to 40 per cent., permitted the Jews to settle in

The Ghetto of Florence. 91

Florence under stringent rules, one of which was that
they were not to lend money at more than four danarr per
lira a month, or 10 per cent. ; only a limited number were
permitted inside the city walls, and all were to live in a
small street then called Chiasso dei Rammaghianti, on
the opposite side of the river, which to this day preserves
the name then given of Via de' Guidei.

In 1439 tne Signory ordered that the Jews were to
wear a yellow badge, and only seventy were allowed to
live in Florence ; but this law fell into abeyance, and in
1495 the patrimony of this persecuted race amounted to
eleven millions of florins,, which raised such an outcry
among the people that the Signory was forced to banish
them. Four years later the sentence was rescinded,
"on payment of two hundred thousand florins as a fine
for the wickedness of the Hebrews."

Bianca Cappello obtained various Oriental perfumes,
salves, and love-philters from the Jews, and in return
persuaded the Grand Duke Francis to repeal several
barbarous, laws, and to declare them free to exercise
usury on payment of four scudi a head to the treasury.

Our guide now proposed to take us up the tower of
one of the old palaces of the Delia Tosa family. So
rich and powerful were they that Corso Donatio when he
attempted to seize the supreme power in Florence, did
not hesitate to force his beautiful sister,. Piccarda, to quit
the convent of Sta. Chiara, and marry Rossellina Delia

92 Italian Sketches.

Tosa. Falling on her knees after the celebration of the
marriage-service, she prayed to be pardoned for thus
involuntarily breaking her vows, and for release from the
husband she hated. Incontinently she was smitten
with a deadly illness, and soon afterwards died. Dante
thus mentions the unfortunate and lovely Piccarda in the
" Paradiso."

" Ma riconoscerai ch'io son Piccarda,

Che posta qui con questi altri beati,

Beata son nella spera piu tarda.

*****
" Uomini poi a mal piu che a bene usi,

Fuor mi rapiron della dolce chiostra :

Dio lo si sa qual poi mia vita fusi."

(" . . . but thou wilt know

Piccarda, in the tardiest sphere thus placed,
There 'mid these other blessed also blest.
*****
" Thereafter men, for ill than good more apt,
Forth snatch'd me from the pleasant cloisters pale.
God knows how, after that, my life was framed.")

We began a weary climb, resting now and then in the
adjacent rooms, whence we got enchanting peeps of the
City of Flowers. At length we reached the top — a room
positively frescoed with filth, out of which opened a
terrace to the south, and another to the east. It made one
dizzy to gaze down on the red-tiled roofs, stained deep
orange, bright yellow, brown, and green, with various
lichens. To our left, far below, was San Giovanni, the

The Ghetto of Florence. 93

baptistry which stood there before the Longobards in-
vaded Italy, and was the mother-church of the diocese of
Florence. The cupola loomed dark against the hill of
Fiesole, on whose summit we could distinguish the dark
lines of the ancient Etruscan walls. A mass of gorgeous
colour, the Duomo glistened and glowed in the sunshine,
and the lovely Campanile of Giotto, so elegant, so severe,
so slight, and yet so strong, shot up into the blue
sky as though conscious of, and rejoicing in, its own
beauty. In front, the tower of the Bargello and the
bell-towers of the Badia and of Sta. Croce stood
out black against the snow-covered mountains of Val-
lombrosa, and to the right Or San Michele rose,
square, like a fortress, its dark walls lit up by the
brilliant white of the tall, carved, marble windows.
From the southern terrace we looked straight upon the
fortress of Belvedere, standing out against the sky,
surrounded with cypresses and ilexes. To the left the
graceful tower of the Signoria Palace seemed to hang in
the blue air, and far, far below us was the Mercato
Vecchio, full of life, bright with the yellow and red
handkerchiefs the women wear on their heads, and
crowded with ambulant pedlars, whose small carts were
covered with gay scarves and woollen wraps, toys and
sweetmeats. The joyous noise of the crowd below
came up to us like a confused murmur, contrasting
vividly with the empty, abandoned Ghetto, in which we

94 Italian Sketches.

were the only living creatures. The Loggia del Pesce,
built by Vasari in 1598, was at our feet, with Delia
Robbias bas-reliefs of various fishes ; and on the opposite
side of the market-place stood the palace of the Amieri,
that great Ghibelline family, who led the van in all the
internecine wars. At the left-hand corner of the market-
place is an ancient tabernacle, grimy with age and smoke,
which marks the spot where Pier da Verona (St. Peter
Martyr) preached against the heresy of the Paterini. A
small oratory was afterwards built there, where Mass was
celebrated until 1785, when it was suppressed and turned
into a shop, whose proprietor is, however, bound to keep
a lamp burning before the faded fresco in the tabernacle.
Almost opposite stood the well-known column of the
market-place, erected in 1431. Donatello sculptured a
statue of Abundance for the summit, which fell down in
r72i, and was dashed to atoms. A new one was made
by Foggini in the following year, which has just been
removed with the column, preparatory to the destruction
of the Ghetto and of the old market.

The old palace, built in 1280 by Foglia d' Amiero
degli Amieri, and ornamented with leaves, in allusion to
his name, Foglia (leaf), is now inhabited by the poorest
class j its once proud tower has been cut down, and is
now the abode of a pigeon-fancier. Here lived the
lovely Ginevra degli Amieri, whose father forced her
to give up her true-love, a Rondinelli, and marry an

The Ghetto of Florence. 95

Agolanti. Ginevra fell ill during the plague, and was
buried while in a syncope in the family sepulchre in the
cathedral. Waking up in the middle of the night, she
managed, after superhuman efforts, to raise the slab of
her tomb, and trailing her long grave-clothes behind her,
tottered to the door of her husband's house and knocked.
Reviled as an evil spirit, she went to the Amieri Palace,
praying her mother for admittance. The same thing
occurred here ; so, as a last resource, she dragged herself
to the house of her old love, who opened wide the doors,
and caught her fainting to his heart. The Priors of
Justice decided that all ties binding her to Agolanti were
severed, and that she was free to marry the man she
loved. The street leading from the cathedral to the
Agolanti Palace is still called Via della Morta, in
memory of " La Bella Ginevra."

Below us to the right lay a dark mass of old palaces,
narrow alleys, small courtyards, and miserable hovels.
Tradition says that here was the Campidoglio, described
by Villani as a Roman fortress of great strength and
beauty, surrounded by strong walls and a moat, fed by
the Arno. Here stood the ancient church of Sta. Maria
in Campidoglio, suppressed and destroyed a century ago ;
near by, in the Via degli Strozzi, one can still see the
steps leading up to the door of the ancient church of
S. Pier Buonconsiglio, now a ribbon manufactory. Nearly
opposite stands the Delia Luna Palace, its original two

96 Italian Sketches.

stories cut up into four or five, and inhabited by poor
people. The popular name, Palazzo della Cavolaia (of
the cabbage-woman), refers to a fable that, when Totila
invaded Florence, he invited the chief men of the city to
come and confer with him in the Campidoglio. A poor
woman, who sold herbs and vegetables outside, noticed
that many went in, but none came out ; so she warned a
large party who were approaching, and thus saved their
lives. They rewarded her well for her timely counsel,
and founded a Mass for the repose of her soul. To this
day a bell, which rings near here at sunset, is called by
the common people, La campana della cavolaia (the
bell of the cabbage-woman). The old palace seemed
doomed to be connected with tales of blood. It originally
belonged to the Manfredi, a Ghibelline family, who were
impoverished and finally destroyed in the party wars.
Then the Torelli of Fermo had it, and Lelio Torelli,
the handsome and winning page of Cosmo I., gained
the love of the beautiful and dissolute Isabella, his
master's daughter, who was married to Paolo Giordano
Orsini, Duke of Bracciano. When the duke left Florence,
he confided his wife to the care of his cousin, Troilo
Orsini, who fell desperately in love with her, and, mad
with jealousy, had Lelio Torelli stabbed to death beneath
a tabernacle close by. As is well known, Isabella was
soon afterwards strangled by her husband at his villa of
Cerreto, during a hunting-party he gave in her honour.

The Ghetto of Florence. 97

The palace then passed into the possession of the Delia
Luna; and Niccolo, the last of his race, was the friend
and boon companion of Cardinal Giovan Carlo de'
Medici, who, from a captain in the guards, had become
a cardinal, and whose manners and morals certainly
savoured more of the camp than of the cloister. Both
fell victims to the charms of Margherita da Cepparello,
and her preference for the handsome young Niccolo
della Luna turned the friendship of the cardinal into
deadly hatred. One morning, after a brilliant fete given
by him in the Giardino de' Semplici, the lifeless body
of the luckless and too-fascinating Niccolo was found
in the large marble fountain, where to this day the
nympheas reflect their loveliness, and the dragon-flies
glint and glisten above them in the sunlight.

Next door is the Palazzo Vecchietti, whose internal
walls certainly look massive enough to be of Roman
origin. This family was anciently called Vecchi, and
their simple habits are praised by Dante.

" E vide quel de Nerli e quel del Vecchio
Esser contend alia pelle scoverta ;
E le sue donne al fuso e al pennecchio." *

Many illustrious men did they give to Florence —
Vanni di Jacopo Vecchietti, a famous captain in the

* ". . . The sons I saw

Of Nerli and of Vecchio, well content,

"With unrobed jerkin, and their good dames handling

The spindle and the flax. ..."

H

98 Italian Sketches.

fourteenth century ; Marsilio, who was always employed
as an ambassador when prudence and foresight was
necessary j Giovan Battista, the man of science, and
intimate friend of Gregory XIII. , and of Philip II. of
Spain. An Oriental scholar and a great traveller, he was
taken prisoner in Palestine, and sold as a slave; his
brother, after long search, ransomed him. Then there
was Bernardo Vecchietti, a great patron of the arts j the
first works of John of Bologna were done for him, and
the young sculptor lived much in his house. The quaint
little satyr or devil still existing at the angle of the
palace is one of John of Bologna's most charming works.
This corner is called " Canto de' Diavoli '• (Corner of the
Devil's), from an old tradition that a fearful black horse
and demons of hideous shape had flown away when
Peter Martyr preached against the heresy of the Paterini
from a pulpit hard by. Of the ancient church, San
Donato de' Vecchietti, nothing remains but a small side
door; the tower belonging to the palace has been cut
down, but still retains its fine coat of arms with five
ermines, commonly supposed to be rats ; and which gave
rise to the popular Florentine saying, when a person
shows signs of age, Tu stai prendendo Varme dei cinque
topi (You are assuming the coat of arms with the five
rats), a pun on the name " Vecchio," which means old.

Slowly descending from the high tower, we passed
down some tortuous narrow alleys near where tradition

The Ghetto of Florence. 99

says that the shop of Domenico di Giovanni, surnamed
" Burchiello," existed : the barber and popular poet of
1408, who gave his name to the facetious style of poetry
he invented. Monsignore Leonardo Dati, himself a
poet, says of him : —

"Burchius qui nihil est, cantu tamen allicite omnes,
esto parasitus vatibus Etrurise."

We conjured up all the gay company that was wont to
assemble and listen to the sallies of the barber-poet :
Leon Battista Alberti, Davanzati, Niccolo Urbinate,
Luca Delia Robbia, and Filippo Brunnelesco, who built
the dome of the cathedral. Antonio del Pollajolo lived
close by in a house belonging to the Agli; this great
painter, enameller, and goldsmith descended from a
family of pollajoli (poultry sellers), whose real name had
been merged in that of their calling. Further on we
passed what had been the old hostelry of " Mala cucina "
(bad cooking), and a few turns more brought us to one
called "Male carne" (bad meat); most uninviting
names, but famous in the annals of this part of Florence,
which only became the Ghetto, or habitation of the
Jews, in 157 1. Cosmo I., at the instigation of Pope
Paul IV., then charged his architect, Bernardo Buon-
talenti, to re-model the centre of the town in such a way
that the Jews should be entirely separated from the rest
of the citizens. The name Ghetto is from the Hebrew
" Ghet," signifying division, or separation ; and at nine

ico Italian Sketches.

every night the keys of the gates of the Ghetto were
taken to the Signory, so that none could pass in or out.
Had a fire broken out, the unhappy Jews would have
been burnt to death like rats in a hole.

Returning to the abandoned Piazza della Fraternita,
whence we had started, we passed under the deep
shadow of the arch out again into the bright streets and
the sunshine, one of our party aptly quoting : —

" Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last ;
You spurn'd me such a day ; another time
You call'd me dog ; and for these courtesies
I'll lend you thus much moneys."

VI NT AGING IN TUSCANY.

In the lower Val d'Arno, overlooking the fruitful plain
which extends from Florence to Empoli, stands an old
villa, a long, low, roomy house, anciently belonging to
the Arte della Lana, whose lamb bearing a banner
over one shoulder is sculptured on various parts of its
walls. In the twelfth century it was only a roof resting
on high arches for drying the wool; then our host's
ancestors bought it, filled up the arches, built a first-
floor, and gradually added wing after wing. The rooms
are large and lofty, and the staircase very handsome.
The ceiling of one of the rooms is frescoed with
Raphaelesque designs like the loggia in the Vatican.
The house is full of old furniture, old china, and various
Roman and Etruscan statues, and a splendid sarco-
phagus found on the property, for we are near Signa,.
the old Signa Romanorum of the legions. The villa is
slightly raised above the plain, and about two miles
from the Arno, opposite Monte Morello, the weather-
teller of all the country round, as the old proverb says : —

Italian Sketches.

<■ o r,„ , «tgfc"a Morello
V'e il cappello,
Non uscir
Senza l'ombrello. " *

To the left, on the opposite side of the Arno, lies the
town of Prato and the beautiful line of hills behind it,
and further up the valley is Pistoja, and the Apennines
in the distance. To the right we see Florence with its
stately duomo and campanile, and in the background the
hills of Vallombrosa. Behind the villa is a large garden,
all the walks of which are shaded with pergole (vines
on trellises), and from thence the ground slopes up to
vineyards and olive-groves, and to the wooded hills from
the summit of which on a clear day one can discern the
sea near Leghorn, some sixty miles off.

In this pleasant and picturesque old [mansion were
assembled a joyous company, mixed Italian and Eng-
lish, for the vintage of 1874. To the advent of the
forestieri was ascribed by the courteous contadini the
splendid yield of grapes, better than they had been
for twenty-six years, t On a fine September morning we

* "IfonMorello
There is the cap,
Don't go out
Without your umbrella. "

f That is to say, since the outbreak of the iodiura. To give some
idea of the virulence of the disease, the farms on this estate, though
two less in number, used to produce at least two thousand barile of
wine ; and in this, an exceptional year, the yield was only one

Vint aging in Tuscany. 103

started, Italian and English, men and women, masters
and mistresses, and servants laden with innumerable
baskets, big and little, each armed with a rough pair of
scissors, and our padrona leading the way, with her
guitar, pouring out as she went an endless flow of stor-
nelli, rispetti, and canzoni, in which Tuscany is as rich
as in any of the country products, maize or figs,
pumpkins or tomatoes, oil or wine, or grain, the Italians
amongst us improvising words to the well-known airs.
The vintage is always a happy time ; every one works
with a will, and is contented and light-hearted. As
Modesto, one of our men, said, " Buon vino fa buon
sangue " (Good wine makes good blood).

The old fattore (bailiff), who had retired from all
active work on the estate, except the management of his
especial pets, the vineyards alia francese (vines cut
low in the French fashion, not allowed to straggle from
tree to tree as is the Tuscan usage), was very great on
this occasion. He pointed out trees he had planted,
and works he had done, fifty years ago, before the
padrone was born. The dear old man was now
seventy-eight, and as brisk and alert as any of us ; with
an eye still bright, and his keen, humorous face as full
of vivacity as the youngest. He was full of old proverbs

thousand one hundred. One year, when the disease was at its
height, they had five barile of stuff resembling mud ! A barile holds
fifty litres.

to* Italian Sketches.

and wise sayings, like all peasants of the Casentino,
his native region, about twenty miles south-west of
Florence ; and looked sharply after all our workmen to
see that each duly did the picking of his row of vines.
He was struck with great admiration at the way in which
Englishmen, and women too, worked, and quite con-
cerned for the repeated drenchings in perspiration of a
strenuous old gentleman of the party, remarking, gravely,
" Questo povero Signor Antonio ! ma suda troppo ! "
(This poor Mr. Tom, he sweats too much). He chuckled
when we got hot and red under the burning sun, grace-
fully putting it to the ladies, " II sole d? Italia vi ha baciato."
(The sun of Italy has kissed you.) By eleven we were
thoroughly tired, and went to rest under the scanty shade
of the olives and fig-trees with our guitar. One of the
young peasants had lost his grandfather in Russia with
Napoleon L, and we called him up, and told him to
sing about the great general. He sung to a favourite
stornello air : —

" Guarda, Napoleon, quello che fai ;
La meglio gioventu tutta la vuoi,
E le ragazze te le friggerai.

" Napoleon, fa le cose giuste,
Falla la coscrizion delle ragazze,
Piglia le belle, e lasciar star le brutte.

" Napoleon, te ne pentirai !

La meglio gioventu tutta la vuoi ;
Delia vecchiaia, che te ne farai.

VlNTAGING IN TUSCANY. 105

" Napoleon, non ti stimar guerriero —
A Mosca lo troveresti l'osso duro,
All' isola dell' Elba prigioniero."

(" While you go our youths collecting,
All our pretty girls neglecting,
Pause, Napoleon, and beware.

" Deal more justly with all classes,
Make conscription of the lasses —
Leave the plain and choose the fair.

" Napoleon, if with ruthless hand,
Of its flower you mow the land :
In old age you'll pay it dear.

" Boast not, tyrant, of your glory,
Moscow's plains were grim and gory,
Elba was a prison drear.")

Twelve o'clock brought a welcome arrival — lunch from
the villa. Grape-picking is a capital sharpener of the
appetite. We were soon reclining — sub tegmine fagi —
round a steaming dish of risotto con funghi, and a
knightly sirloin of roast beef, which would have done
honour to old England. A big fiasco (a large bottle
bound round with reeds or straw, and holding three
ordinary bottles) of last year's red wine was soon
emptied, well-tempered, I should say, with water from
the neighbouring well. At a little distance the labourers
in the vineyard were enjoying the unwonted luxury of
a big wooden bowl full of white beans crowned with
pofyette, little sausages of minced meat and rice.

106 Italian Sketches.

We first gathered all the white grapes. These were
transferred from our small baskets to big ones, placed
at the end of each row of vines. These bigger baskets
were then carried on men's backs to the villa, where the
grapes were laid out to dry in one of the towers, on
stoje, great trays made of canes. Here they are
exposed to sun and air for some weeks, when they
are used for making the vin1 santo. After the white
grapes were gathered, we fell to on the black, of the
choice kinds, the "San Giovese," the "Aleatico," the
" Colorino," and the " Occhio di Pernice." These also
were destined to be exposed on stoje in . the same
manner. They are used as govemo, that is to say,
when the new wine is racked for the first time these
choice black grapes are put in, so as to cause another
fermentation ; they at once deepen the colour and make
it clear.

How melancholy the vines looked stripped of their
grapes ! The glorious white and golden, and pink and
deep red bunches had given a beauty to the land-
scape which one did not realize until they were gone,
and the poor vines stood bare. In our discussions
about the progress of our work, the time of day often
came in question. The old fattore was very anxious
to know how we in England knew the hour, as he had
heard that our churches did not ring the Ave Maria
at midday or in the evening. He had, doubtless, a

Vint aging in Tuscany. 107

settled conviction that we were little better than heathens,
but was too polite to say so right out. We explained
that we had abundance of both big clocks and little
watches; but he answered, " Ma che" (with a horizontal
wave of the hand), " I have a watch too. I set it by the
Ave Maria and hardly ever use it. At mid-day, when
the Ave Maria rings, we know we are to eat; and
when we hear it at sundown, twenty-four o'clock, as we
say here, we leave off work ; and at one o'clock of night
(an hour after sunset) it rings again so that we may
remember our dead and say an Ave for them." All
our arguments to prove that clocks and watches might
be good substitutes for the Ave Maria were useless,
and he remained stanch to his idea that England must
be a wretched place without the Ave Maria — "Si
deve star male in Inghilterra senza VAve Maria."

At last the beautiful great white oxen, with their large,
soft, black eyes, and with tassels of red and yellow
worsted dangling about the roots of their horns and
over their cool moist noses, came to the edge of the
vineyard, drawing a large vat (tino) fixed on the cart.
Into this all the remaining grapes were thrown. A
handsome lad of sixteen, after tucking up his trousers
and washing his feet in a bucket of water drawn from
the well close by, jumped atop of the vat and lustily
stamped down the contents, singing as he plied his
purple-stained feet : —

108 Italian Sketches.

" Bella bellina, chi vi ha fatto gli occhi?
Che ve gli ha fatti tanto innamorati ?
Da letto levereste gli ammalati,
Di sotto terra levereste i morti.
Tanto valore e tanta valoranza !
Vostri begli occhi son la mia speranza."

(" My lovely charmer, who hath made thine eyes,
That fill our bosoms with such ecstasies ?
Their glance would draw the sick man from his bed,
Or haply pierce the tomb and raise the dead.
Oh ! my sweet love, thy beauty and thy worth,
Are all my hope and all my joy on earth.")

Of such tender sentiment and musical sound are the
songs of the Tuscan "roughs." These songs are most
of them the composition, both words and airs, of the
peasants and artisans who sing them. The hills round
Pistoja and the streets of Florence ring with an ever-
renewed outpour of such sweet and simple song.

The padrone prides himself much on his fine breed
of oxen, and told us the old Tuscan proverb, Chi ha
carro e buoi, fa bene i fatti suoi (Whoso has cart
and oxen does good business). When the last load
of grapes was carted off we returned to the villa, where
we found all hands busy in the great courtyard of the
fattoria* on one side of the villa, emptying the
grapes and must out of the vats with wooden bigoncie,
high wooden pails without handles. These are carried

* The fattoria comprehends the farm-buildings, cellars, granaries,
bailiffs dwellings, etc., attached to a villa, just as in the Roman
times the "Villa Rustica " was attached to the " Villa Urbana."

Vint aging in Tuscany. 109

on men's shoulders, and their contents poured into
immense vats {tint) ranged all round the courtyard
under covered arcades. In our wine-shed {tinaia) there
are about fifty of these, containing from five to fifty
butts each, besides three large square reservoirs of stone
each holding three hundred barrels. The bubbling and
boiling of the fermenting wine fills the air, and the
smell is almost strong enough to get drunk upon. The
men often do get tipsy, if they remain too long treading
the grapes, or drawing off the new wine. But here it
is an article of faith that the perfume of the must is the
best medicine, and people bring weakly children to tread
the grapes and remain in the tinaia to breathe the
fume-laden air and eat of the fresh fruit ; for at vintage-
time no peasant or padrone refuses grapes to any one
who asks. They say that // btton Dio has given them
plenty, and why should they in their turn not give to
those who have nothing? I suppose this universal
readiness to give is one reason why there is so little
stealing here. You see vines full of fruit close to the
roads, and quite unprotected by any sort of fence, and
yet no one of the country-side ever takes them. There
are, it is true, certain ntalfamati villages, whose in-
habitants have the reputation of thieves, and against
these, and pilferers from the large towns, the vineyards
are guarded by men armed with guns, with which they
keep popping the night through. At times you see

no Italian Sketches.

twenty or thirty poor people standing quietly looking
on, until called up to receive their dole of grapes, with
which they go away happy, with their graceful "Dio ve
ne renda merito" At home they will mix water with
the must they squeeze out of their basket or apronful
of such ungrudged gifts, and make mezzo vino, or
acquarello (water and wine fermented together), for
the winter. The same thing is done on a large scale
at many fattorie. This mixture of wine and water is
distributed to the poor in winter, and is the common
drink of the workmen about the villa. After the first
good wine is drawn off from the vats, the vinaccia
(skins, grape-stones, and stalks) is put into the press,
and the second wine pressed out. This is good, but
considerably rougher, from the larger amount of tannin,
due to the skins and stalks, than that which is drawn
from off the vats after fermentation without any agency
of the press. After passing through the press, the clots
of vinaccia are again put into the vats, and water is
poured upon them. In eight or ten days a fresh fer-
mentation takes place, and the vinaccia is once more
pressed in the wine-press. This gives mezzo vino, or
acquarello (half-wine), not at all bad, but of course
of insufficient body to keep through the summer. For
this there is no want of demand at the villa. Besides
the rations of the workpeople, there are the poveri
del buon Dio. In Tuscany there are no almshouses or

Vint aging in Tuscany.

poorhouses, save in the chief towns. Most villas have
one or two days in the week when alms are distributed
to all who come and ask. Here the gathering of poor
occurs every Monday and Thursday, at ten in the morn-
ing. A hunch of bread, a glass of half-wine, and five
centimes are doled out to every applicant, and on
Christmas Day any one who brings a fiasco has it filled
with mezzo-vino, and gets half a loaf of bread and half
a pound of uncooked meat. Such has been the custom,
I am told, at this villa, for many hundred years.

Our happy holiday vintaging lasted for five days, and
then we went to help the vintaging of one of the con-
tadini of the padrone. This family had been on the
estate for two hundred and eighty years. All their vines
were trained Tuscan fashion on maples, and we had the
help of ladders and steps to gather the grapes. Half
the grapes, and indeed half of all the produce of the
land — grain, pumpkins, flax, fruit, or wine, belongs to the
padrone, who pays all the taxes and buys the cattle.
The contadino pays no rent for his house, which the
padrone keeps in repair. The peasant gives the labour
and the master finds the capital.

This is, in rough outline, the system of mezzeria or
metayer (half and half) tenure, still universal in Tus-
cany. Like all human things, it has two sides, and may
be condemned as the most backward, or defended as
the most patriarchal and wholesome of systems, binding

Italian Sketches.

landlord and tenant in the bond of an obviously
common interest, and encouraging the closest and most
familiar relations between the two. When the land-
lord is intelligent, active, and judicious, he may become
a centre of enlightenment and improvement to his
tenantry; but all his attempts must be made with the
most cautious discretion, or he will infallibly frighten,
and perhaps alienate, his tenantry, who are thorough
Conservatives, and love stare super antiquas vias. Thus
the best commentary on the " Georgics " is still agricul-
ture in action in Tuscany, a passing peep into one
of whose most pleasing chapters has been attempted in
this paper.

OIL-MAKING IN TUSCANY.

" La prima oliva e oro, la seconda argento, la terza non
val niente" (The first olive is golden, the second silver,
the third is worthless). Thus said the old contadino
Bencino, quoting a Tuscan proverb, on a splendid, late
November morning, whilst carefully gathering the olives
into a queer wicker-basket which hooked into his belt.
This basket was like a half-moon, and about three-
quarters of a foot deep; it fitted close to Bencino's
waist, and did not impede his movements, or shake the
precious fruit and bruise them.

We had driven out from Florence to a faltoria or
large farm, in the lower Val d'Arno, to see the process of
oil-making ; as our host said, " real oil, not the fabricated
stuff you poor people in England are used to. You
shall see the olives squeezed, and taste the virgin oil."
We made rather a face at this proposal ; but the beauty
of the country soon drove all disagreeable ideas out of
our heads.

After a lunch at the villa, an ancient and original
place, with enough old furniture and old china in it to

I

ii4 Italian Sketches.

gladden the hearts of a dozen bric-a-brac hunters, we
walked two miles through the woods, up to the podere
(farm) of Bencino, one of the contadini, on the top of a
hill. The view was astounding. Florence lay to the
right, at our feet, the dark cupolas looming out grandly
against the snow-covered hills of Vallombrosa, which
rose behind the bright city. In front was the fruitful
valley of the Arno, with glimpses of the river here and
there, glistening like silver, and the slender, leafless
branches of the willow glowing scarlet and orange as they
tossed in the breeze. The old battlemented walls of
Lastra-a-Signa looked stern and weather-beaten, as
though still frowning defiance to the enemies of Florence.
The Pisans, with the help of English free-lances, pillaged
and burnt the old place in 1365, and Galeazzo Visconti
again in 1397. Lastra-a-Signa shared the fate of Florence
in 1529, and after a gallant defence fell into the hands
of the Spaniards, under the Prince of Orange, who
committed such atrocities that the peasants still scare
their naughty children with the threat of giving them to
the Spaniards; and an old Tuscan proverb says, E
meglio stare al bosco e mangiar pignoli, che stare in
Castello con gli Spagnoli (Better to live in the wood
and eat stone-pine nuts, than in a castle with the
Spaniards). Monte Morello and Monte Ferrato rose
behind, while the villas dotted here and there on the
dark hillsides gleamed out white in the brilliant sun-

Oil-making in Tuscany. u$

shine. The picturesque little town of Prato seemed
quite close, instead of being twelve miles away, and we
could plainly distinguish the beautiful marble cathedral,
in which Filippo Lippi worked so well, and inspired his
brush with the lovely face of Lucrezia Buti, the young
nun who left her cloister at Prato to follow the smooth-
tongued painter. In the far distance we could see the
peaks of the mountains of Carrara, and to the left rose
the majestic and snow-capped Apennines, all rugged and
intersected with deep valleys.

The road was steep, and we wondered how the noble,
big, white oxen managed to drag the awkward heavy
two-wheeled carro (country-cart) up such an incline.
The ground was arranged in terraces, each with a line
of olive-trees on the outside and a line of vines on the
inside. The centre was ploughed and sown with grain,
while the banks of the terraces supplied fodder for the
cattle. A Tuscan contadino throws away nothing, and
manages to cultivate his podere like a garden.

The black shining olives hung thick on the slender
branches, which bent low under the weight. The crop
was abundant, " una vera grazia di Dio " (a real bounty
of God), as Bencino said. All the contadini of this
fattoria, whose podere were situated on the slopes of the
hills, where the ground is stony, and therefore suitable
for the cultivation of olive-trees, were busily engaged
gathering the fruit; the men up in the trees and on

n6 Italian Sketches.

ladders, the women and children picking up those which
fell to the ground. The bruised berries are kept apart,
to make the second quality of oil. The trees are most
carefully and severely pruned, hollow in the middle, to
form a basket-shaped tree. Agli olivi, un pazzo sopra
e un savio sotto (A mad man at the top of the olive-tree,
and a wise man at the roots), says the proverb.

Enough fruit had been picked for the day's pressing,
so we climbed up the bare bit of steep road which led
to Bencino's house, accompanied by the old man and his
four stalwart sons, all of whom had served in the army
without ever having a bad mark, as their father told us
with considerable pride. The house stood on the brow
of a hill, and was built round two sides of a square
courtyard paved with bricks; on the third side rose a
high wall, with an arched gateway, over which was an old
escutcheon, carved in stone, of the fifteenth century,
with a lily and " S. M." entwined. A covered staircase
was outside the house, and led into a large room, with
huge beams and rafters, browned with age and smoke.
The fireplace was immense, with seats in the corners.
Here we found Bencino's mother, a ruddy, brisk old
dame of near ninety ; we wanted to know her exact age,
but she could not tell us, and replied with a proverb,
" Gli uo?7iini hanno gli anni chl sentono, e le donne quelli
che mostrano" (Men count the years they feel, and
women those they show); adding that she had "molti,

Oil-making in Tuscany. 117

ma di molti anni" (many, many years), and that those
sad years when Carlo and Pasquale, two of her grandsons,
were both away at the war, had seemed to her a lifetime.
" Ah, Illustrissimo," said she to the padrone, with tears
in her bright old eyes, " let us pray that these kings and
great folk don't make any more wars. It would kill me
and the sposina there (Carlo's pretty young wife), if he
had again to put on his bersagliere coat." The poor old
woman clasped her wrinkled, brown hands, and the
pretty sposina echoed, " Let us pray to God." We had
to admire the baby's fat legs, and drink a glass of
Bencino's vin vecchio, which was excellent, and then
went down into the courtyard, and descended two steps
into the frantojo, or oil-pressing room.

In the centre was an immense stone basin, in which
revolved a solid millstone about five feet in diameter
technically called, I believe, an edge-runner, turned by a
splendid white ox, which, to our astonishment, was not
blindfolded. Our host told us that it was difficult to get
oxen to do this work; it takes time and patience to
accustom them to it. The millstone was set up on edge
and rolled round in the stone basin, secured to a big
column of wood which reached to the ceiling. The
whole machine was most old-fashioned and clumsy, and
the padrone said, laughing, was evidently as old as
Noah's ark. Into the stone basin, as clean as a dairy-
maid's pan, five sacks of olives were emptied, which,

n8 Italian Sketches.

in a short time, were reduced to a mass of dark greenish-
brown thick pulp. Stones and all were mashed without
any noise, save the occasional lowing of the ox when his
tasselled and ornamented nose-bag was empty. When
Bencino judged that the olives were sufficiently crushed,
the pulp was taken out from the mill, with clean new
wooden shovels, and put into a circular shallow basket
with a large hole through the middle, made of thick cord
fabricated from rushes grown in the Pisan marshes, and
looking very much like open cocoanut matting. As
fast as these gabbie, or cages, as they are called, were
filled, they were carried by two men, on a handbarrow
with long handles at each end, to the press in the corner
of the room, and piled with the greatest exactitude one
on the top of the other under the press. Then began
the hard work. Two huge posts clamped with iron
support a colossal beam, through which goes the screw,
finishing below in a large square block of wood with two
square holes right through it.

Into one of these Carlo stuck a long beam, on the end
of which he hooked a rope, which was secured round a
turning pillar of wood, about six or eight feet distant,
with a handle against which the men threw their whole
weight. With many groans and squeaks the big block
of wood revolved to the right until the rope was all
twisted round the pillar, when it was unhooked, the
beam lifted out of its hole in the block, and carried on

Oil-making in Tuscany. 119

Carlo's stalwart shoulder to be inserted into the hole
further back, the rope untwisted, and again hooked
round the end of the beam, and so on until not a drop
more could be extracted. The press was then screwed
back, and the gabbie carried on the handbarrow to the
mill, where they were emptied, and their contents again
ground for some time ; the gabbie were then filled anew,
and put under the press for the second time, when a great
deal more oil came dripping out, but of inferior quality.
The refuse that remains, called sansa di oiivi, is almost
black, and quite dry and gritty. This is sold for
threepence or fourpence a bigoncia full, about fifty-five
pounds in weight, to some people in the Val di Greve,
who buy up the sansa from all the country round.
They wash it in the running water of the Greve, when
the pulp and the skin of the olive floats on the surface,
and the crushed stones sink. With large, flat, pierced,
wooden ladles the pulp and skins are skimmed off the
water and boiled in immense cauldrons previous to being
again put under the press. About ten per cent, of oil
is thus extracted, but of very inferior quality, called
olio lavato, or washed oil. This is chiefly used in
Italy for making soap, but a good deal is exported.
It has a nasty, sweet, sickly taste, entirely wanting the
aromatic bitter so much prized in the good oil. But to
return to the press. At its foot is a large marble under-
ground receptacle, into which the oil ran. This was

120 Italian Sketches.

carefully covered with a hinged, wooden lid to prevent
any dust or dirt from falling in. Bencino lifted up the
lid and showed us the stream of oil falling into a clean
wooden tinello or small vat.

Olives contain two-thirds of water and one-third of
oil, and for some time it came dripping clear and
bright like amber; but when the gabbie had been
squeezed and squashed down to about half their original
size, and the press was screwed back, and the big block
of wood raised to admit large heavy rounds of wood,
which were screwed down tight again on the pulp, it was
more mixed with dirty-yellow water, and lost its golden tint.

The oil naturally floats on the top of the water, and
Carlo Bencino was busily engaged in skimming it deli-
cately off with a big tin scoop. He poured it through
a funnel into a clean wooden barile (a small barrel with
narrow ends, held together by large, flat, wooden hoops,
and holding about thirty-six quarts) ; and when this was
full he shouldered it and carried it off to the chiaritojo,
or oil-clearing room, where the barile is emptied into a
large conca, a terra-cotta vase like an immense' flower-
pot, well glazed inside. This room was, like everything
else, scrupulously clean, and paved with red bricks
sloping towards the middle, where there was another
underground marble receptacle, in case of an accident,
such as the breaking of a conca. The temperature is
kept as equable as possible, and in cold winter weather

Oil-making in Tuscany. 121

a brazier is lighted at night. Nothing spoils the look,
though not the flavour, of oil so much as getting frozen ;
it becomes thick, and seldom quite regains its golden
limpidity, even when treated by people who thoroughly
understand it.

For fifteen or twenty days it is left to clear in these
conche, when the thicker or second quality sinks, and
the clear, brilliant, yellow oil is carefully put into barile
and sent down in the ox-cart to the fattoria, where it
is emptied into tall, well-glazed terra-cotta jars. These
are kept in a dark room, with a southern exposure, pro-
tected from any violent changes of temperature by a
fire during the cold weather.

Ten or twelve barili of oil can be pressed in a day,
and as all the other contadini of the fattoria bring their
olives and those of the padrone up to the press at
Bencino's, this process goes on for some time when the
crop is abundant. It is hard work, and must be done
with cleanliness and nicety. At first our host had some
difficulty in getting the contadini to see that it was of
importance to separate the bruised from the fresh-picked
fruit, and to keep the press and implements clean.
They thought it was only a whim, which they obeyed,
partly from a sense of duty, but chiefly because the
padrone is extremely beloved by his tenantry.

The jollity and fun of the battitura (thrashing) or of
the vintage was wanting ; the days were short and the

122 Italian Sketches.

wind cold, and, as Pasquale said, " one's throat is out of
tune in winter, and without a song work seems dull and
heavy; however, we make up for it at night when we
have pan unto (oiled bread)." We asked what this
was, and he explained that during the process of press-
ing the contadini who made the oil always invited their
friends to eat pan unto or toasted bread dipped in
the new oil. The old folk talk about the crops and
family affairs, and the young people sing and dance, and
make love to one another. The girls here never dance
out of their own homes or the houses of friends. On
the fes fas and saints' days the young men dance together
out-of-doors, and the girls look on. Another odd custom
is that a girl who is engaged to be married either does not
go to the festas, or, if she does, she puts on her every-
day working dress, and does not wear her best ear-rings
or bright-coloured little shawl tied coquettishly across
her breast. She keeps aloof from the general company,
and her jidanzato, or affianced husband, does not go and
talk to her.

The evening passes away merrily, for many of the
young men play the guitar or the accordion, and almost
all sing enough to join in a chorus. Some of the old
contadini are renowned for their talent as story-tellers,
but their tales are all about real people. No northern
Italian has ever heard of a fairy hobgoblin ; even ghosts
are scarce, and are held in small estimation.

Oil- making in Tuscany. 123

Our host insisted on our tasting the new oil, and to
our surprise it was delicious, like a decoction of very
aromatic herbs, and entirely free from the rank, nasty
taste we generally associate with oil. We now under-
stood why Italian salads are so different from ours, and
how a fritto, or dish of fried meat and vegetables,
comes to be so excellent in Tuscany. Coming back
to the villa by twilight through the silent woods, at the
end of our walk we met a joyous company going up
to pay Bencino a visit, and eat pan unto. They had
two guitars and an accordion, and, after cordial and
even affectionate greetings between them and the
padrone, passed on, singing in chorus as they breasted
the hill. One of the girls was very pretty, which we
shrewdly suspected explained Pasquale's blushes, and
the padrone said she was a good girl, and so he would
allow the marriage. We noticed that our host addressed
all his people as figliuolo mio (my son), even men who
were thirty years his senior, while the women were
invariably bambina mia (my little girl), unless he knew
their names. Altogether a very pleasant and easy-going
life is the Tuscan peasant's. He has a direct interest in
the produce of the land, and in bad years his padrone
helps him with grain, wine, oil, beans, maize, and other
necessaries, often at a heavy loss to himself.

VIRGIL AND AGRICULTURE IN

TUSCANY.

Agriculture in Italy, at least in Tuscany, has changed
so little since old Virgil sang, that his descriptions would
pass muster with any peasant of the present day. The
" hardy rustic " still goes into the woods and seeks for
an elm or, by preference, an oak, to fashion into a
plough-beam, for a stanga or stiva, " stegola " (handle),
not less than eight feet long, and for the earth-boards,
called orecchi, " aures" (ears), and also for the share-
beams with double backs, called dentale a due dors/,
{duplici aptantur dentalia dor so), which hold the gom-
bere (vomero), or large iron coulter for breaking up
the earth, and the vangheggiola, or smaller one for
making furrows for sowing. On the slopes of the hills
of Fiesole the whole plough is often called bombero,
instead of aratro. The yoke is rudely made of lime
or beech, and the capacious chimney of the peasant's
house still affords room for seasoning the wood.

The aja, or threshing-floor is still made solid with
potter's clay, and beaten hard. Virgil recommends a

126 Italian Sketches.

huge roller, which is an unknown implement in Tuscany.
The careful peasant still picks and chooses beans, maize,
and such large seeds one at a time by hand, and the
ancient theory that a fine crop of bloom on the walnut-
trees indicates a good wheat-harvest still holds as good,
witness the well-known proverb : —

" Quando le noce vengono a mucchierelli
La va bene pei ricchi e i poverelli. " *

I cannot recognize any of Virgil's names for olives,
orc/iades, radii, or pausia, in the Tuscan morinelle, in-
frantoie, rosselline, correggiuole, or pendoline and leccine.
The two first named are also called morcai, because
they contain more oil than the others, and make more
i?iorchict, or pulp, in the crushing-machine. They are
larger olives, but not so aromatic in taste as some of
the smaller sorts. The approved way of making an
olive plantation is still to hew an old stock in small
pieces for planting, when a young olive-tree springs from
the sapless wood : —

" Quin et caudicibus sectis, mirabile dictu !
Truditur e sicco radix oleagina ligno."

Pliny says that olive-wood worked and made into hinges
for doors has been known to sprout ; but on propound-
ing this to a Tuscan countryman I met with extreme
disbelief.

* " When the walnuts come in handfuls,
All goes well for rich and poor."

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany. 127

Some rash innovators have lately suggested sowing
olive-kernels and grafting the young trees ; but Tuscans
do not like changes, and are apt to quote : —

" Chi lascia la via vecchia per la nuova
Sa quel che lascia, non sa quel che trova." *

If Virgil found it impossible to enumerate the different
kinds of grapes and their names, how much more so is
it the case to-day? But his praises of the Falernian
wine are well deserved. White Falernian is excellent,
and has an aroma and bouquet of its own, withal strong
and generous. Tuscany is deservedly proud of her
chianti, and vin santo from any respectable fattoria is
not to be despised. But the worst of Italian wines is,
that you are seldom sure of getting the same two years
running.

The manner of making wine has not changed since
the time of Virgil. The white oxen bring the grapes
from the fields, in a vat placed on an unwieldy, heavy
ox-cart, painted scarlet, to the tinaja^ or place where
the tint or vats are. The grapes are emptied out
into Mgoncie, tall wooden pails without handles, which
the men carry on their shoulders. The grapes are
poured into the immense open vats, where they are
stamped upon night and morning by the bare-legged
peasants, to prevent the upper stratum of grapes be-

* "Whoso leaves the old road for the new,

Knows what he leaves, but not what he may find."

128 Italian Sketches.

coming acid by too long a contact with the air. When
the fermentation has ceased, the clear must is run off;
a man gets into the vat and pitchforks the murk into
bigoncie again, which are emptied into the winepress.
As a pictorial subject this press is delightful, but it is
inconvenient and extremely wasteful. Two huge posts
of wood support an immense beam, through which
works a wooden screw, finishing at the bottom in a
square block of wood with two square holes straight
through it. Under this stands what is called the
gabbia (cage), a round, vat-shaped, iron-clamped re-
ceptacle, made of strong bars of wood. The murk is
put into this, and when it is full, toppi, round slabs
of wood, like colossal cheeses, are piled on the top of
the murk. Then a long pole is stuck into one of the
square holes at the bottom of the screw, and to the
other end is hooked a rope, which is secured round a
turning pillar of wood about eight feet off, with a handle
against which three or four men throw their whole
weight. Slowly, with many creaks and groans, the huge
block of wood descends on the round slabs, and the rope
curls round the pillar, while from between the bars of
the press gushes out a dark, turbid, dirty-looking liquid,
which one can hardly believe will ever turn into ruby
wine. This operation is repeated by unhooking the
rope, lifting the beam out of its hole, and carrying it, on
a man's shoulder, to the hole behind, until the murk by

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany. 129

sheer physical force is pressed into a compact mass, and
contains no more liquid.

Virgil's excellent advice about thoroughly seasoning
and breaking up the land before planting vines is carried
out to the letter in Tuscany, where the ditcher makes a
trench at least six feet deep and four feet wide, called
scasso reale, which is left open to sun, wind, and rain
for six months or a year before it is again filled in, after
having been drained in a rough and ready manner by
pitching all available stones into the bottom of the
trench. The vine-cuttings, magliuoli, or, better still,
two-year-old rooted plants, barbalelli, are then planted
two on each side of a young maple-tree destined for
their support If a vineyard is to be made, the quincunx
system, recommended by Virgil, is always followed, and
you will still hear the head of the gang of workmen
saying "they must be like soldiers, properly in line." A
little further on you will see a sturdy peasant following
the plough, and others sowing and hoeing over the
field ; one at least will be singing a stornello at the top
of his voice. Their legs are generally bare far above
the knee, and nudas ara, sere nudus is at once recalled
to your mind. Down in the valley, by the brawling
streamlet, whose course you can trace far away into
the blue distance by the double line of tall poplars,
glinting in the sun, grow the tall, graceful, blue-green
canes (Arundo donax). What would they do in Tuscany

K

130 Italian Sketches.

without the canne ? Hedges are mended, young trees
staked, and vines trained on canne. They need no care,
and are as useful as they are ornamental.

The warning against planting olive-trees in the vine-
yards, for fear of fire, is no longer regarded; on the
contrary, olives are very generally planted in the new-
fashioned vigne alia francese, or vineyards according
to the French system, partly because they give very
little shade, and partly with an eye to the future, in case
the dreaded phylloxera were to devastate Italy, when
the unhappy proprietors would at least have their olive-
trees to fall back upon. The tree sacred to Pallas will
grow on the wild mountain-side, in the biancana or white
marl, which is so poor that even the vine needs a
very large quantity of manure in order to succeed well.
Virgil's advice to study the colour of the soil is borne
out in the Tuscan proverb : —

" Terra bianca, tosto stanca ;
Terra nera, buon gran mena. " *

Vines are still planted and trained as in Virgil's day;
and, alas ! his warning against the " poison of the hard
tooth " of sheep and goats still holds good. Would that
all goats had long ago been sacrificed to Bacchus !

The fashion, in Tuscany at least, and I believe more
or less all over Italy, is to keep a herd numbering from

* " White earth is soon exhausted ;
Black earth bears good wheat."

Virgil and A griculture in Tuscany. 131

ten to three hundred sheep or goats at your neighbours'
expense. Hedges are ruined, forests denuded of under-
wood and young trees ; and often it is the syndic of the
village, or some important person in the commune, who
thus sets the law (for there is a law against permitting
goats and sheep to injure other people's property) at
defiance. Being persons of authority, they are not likely
to be attacked for breaking the laws they ought to
administer.

The care of vines, as Virgil says, is never-ending, the
ground must be dug over three or four times in the year,
and the clods broken with the back of the hoe. As soon
as the labour of the vintage is finished, that of pruning
begins. If the Tuscans laid to heart what the poet so
truly observes : —

" Be the first to dig the ground, etc. ;
Be the latest to reap the produce,"

the wine would much improve. As a rule the grapes in
Tuscany are picked too soon, with a consequent loss of
saccharine and alcohol in the wine. The old saying
though, Fammi fiovera, ti faro ricco (Make me poor,
I will make thee rich), is being more followed, and the
vines are more scientifically pruned and with better
instruments.

The propagation of the vines is done in various ways.
The mag/iuo/o, which I take to be Virgil's truncus, is
the most used. The well-ripened wood of the long

132 Italian Sketches.

branches of the vine is cut into lengths of about three
feet ; nearly two feet is pushed underground with a
long iron instrument which has a deep slit at one end,
like two fingers. Then there is the propaggine (pro-
paginis arcus), which consists in arching a long vine-
branch, and burying about a foot of it underground.
When the roots are formed, this is severed from the
parent plant ; but they say the vine is not so long-lived
as when treated in the first-mentioned way.

Cattle are a great resource to the Tuscans, and they
take a legitimate pride in the noble white oxen from the
Val di Chiana, with small heads and horns, large, liquid,
brown eyes, and soft, fine skins. I have seen a pair
at the fair at Prato, standing twenty hands high, their
beautiful heads all decked with various-coloured bits of
cloth and small looking-glasses. Round their immense
bodies was tied a scarlet ribbon to show off still more
their girth. One involuntarily repeated Lord Macaulay's
lines : —

" And deck the bull, Mevania's bull,
The bull as white as snow. "

The breeding of these cattle is most profitable ; they are
all stall-fed, as pasture is unknown in Tuscany. It is
generally the work of the women and boys and girls to
collect the fodder, which varies with the time of year
from grass and clover to vine, elm, and oak leaves. The
calves are most carefully attended to, and Virgil's advice

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany. 133

not to fill the pails with milk, white as snow, but to leave
it all for the beloved young, is perforce attended to, as
the large white breed are such poor milkers that they
have but just enough for their calves. When a milch
cow is wanted she is bought from the herds driven twice
a year down from the Swiss Alps. But Italians use so
little milk and butter, that in any rather out-of-the-way
village it is impossible to buy either.

As to the horses, so beautifully described by Virgil
that one recognizes at once a first-class breed, their
descendants are indeed degenerate ! The Italian horse,
generally speaking, is a wretched animal. Small, ill-
made, cow-hocked, overworked and underfed, broken-in
and made to do hard work at between two and three
years old, he is the type of what a horse ought not to be.
The small ponies are the best animals they have now in
Italy. They probably owe something to Eastern blood,
as their heads, legs, and good hoofs recall the Arab.
They are fast and hardy, but generally overdriven, which
ruins their paces.

The sheep and goats, as I have before said, are a real
pest in Tuscany, and the municipalities are beginning to
awake to the damage they commit. The milk-cheese
described by Virgil is extremely popular to the present
day. The sheep are milked, and the milk is slightly
warmed over a fire ; some presame is thrown in, which
consists of a mixture of rennet and the beard of the wild

i34 Italian Sketches.

artichoke. In four hours the milk is set ; and large
quantities are sold, neatly folded up in a mat of green
rushes strung together. It is called raveggiolo. Unless
salt is added it will not keep good more than twelve
hours. To make the raveggiolo into cheese is a simple
operation : it is put on an inclined plane of basketwork
and gently pressed with the hands for some time. It
seems some of the shepherds have a reputation for
making far better cheese than others, and this is
attributed to their having hotter hands. I have, though,
noticed that a pretty daughter often has a great deal to
do with the goodness of the cheese.

The lambs are killed when between twenty-eight and
thirty-five days old — a great waste of meat. But Italians
as a rule will not eat mutton, and lamb is often passed
off as kid, which is considered more delicate.

Bees are usually kept by the monks, and few things
are more picturesque and serenely beautiful than an
old monastery garden in the spring-time. The double
avenues of dark cypresses, and a tangled undergrowth
of rosemary, lavender, and China roses, the grass all
enamelled with daffodils, primroses, and wild orchises,
and the bees busily humming hither and thither, form a
picture not easily forgotten.

The hives are almost invariably made of the hollowed
trunks of willow trees, closed at the top and bottom with
boards, and the cracks filled up with clay ; very like what
is described in the " Georgics."

Virgil and Agriculture in Tuscany. 135

A village priest, living not far from Florence, has
invented a wooden hive of the most ingenious fashion,
and a way of taking the honey without destroying the
combs. Don Giotto has the rare gift of handling bees
without having to fear their anger and painful sting. He
will walk up to a hive of strange bees, open it, and take
out the small inhabitants, who crawl all over him, and
seem rather to like being disturbed ; while the priest's
kindly face beams with pleasure, he being an enthusiastic
apiculturist.

Bees were always popular in Italy, and Messer Giovanni
Rucellai's " Le Api " (The Bees) is still a standard work,
particularly on account of the beautiful Italian, for the
author's notions about bees are on a par with Virgil's.
He wrote "LeApi" in 1524, and published the first
edition in 1539.

Many of my readers must have often compared Virgil
with Italy of the present day. The love of home and
country, and the strong family affections which are so
striking now, are described by the old Mantuan poet,
whose Praise of Italy is the most exulting hymn ever
written in honour of a country.

" But neither the groves of Media, that land of wealth,
nor fair Ganges, and Hermes, turbid with its slime of
gold, can vie with the glories of Italy. . . . Teeming
crops o'erspread it, and the juice of the Massic vine;
olive-trees possess it, and goodly herds ; hence comes

Italian Sketches.

the warrior-horse, that proudly bounds into the field ;
hence the snowy flocks, Clitumnus, and the bull, the
chiefest victim, which, often bathed in thy hallowed
stream, lead to the shrines of the gods the triumphs of
Rome. Here is ceaseless spring, and summer in months
where summer is strange. . . Think too of so many
glorious cities and laboured works, so many towns piled
by the hand of man on steepy crags, and the streams
that flow beneath those ancient walls ! . . . Hail, realm
of Saturn, mighty mother of fruits, mighty mother of
men !"

mm

pr

ki

flSnmH&

ii

,.,;„.>, ..iv.,/-.^,M^..,

THE MUNICIPAL PALACE. POPPI.

TO MM A SO CRUDELI AND THE
FREEMASONS OF FLORENCE IN 1733.*

The first Lodge of Freemasonry was instituted at
Florence in 1733, by Charles Sackville, Lord Middlesex,
afterwards First Lord of the Treasury, and Equerry to
Frederick, Prince of Wales. He was a poet and fond
of music, and in 1737 was impressario of the Pergola
at Florence. The Masons first met in Via Maggio, at
an inn kept by G. Pascio, called by the Florentines
Monsiu Pascio, or Pascione, and the first Master, or, more
correctly, Venerable, was Mr. Fox, a great mathematician,
and a man of considerable learning. These meetings
always ended with a good dinner, and, finding that
the innkeeper of Via Maggio did not treat them well,
the Masons abandoned his house and went to John
Collins's, himself a Freemason, and owner of the best inn
in Florence. The second Master was the founder, Lord
Middlesex, and he was succeeded by Lord Raymond,
who had the reputation of being an unbeliever. One of

* Most of the facts in this paper are taken from " Tommaso
Crudeli, e I Primi Framassoni in Firenze," by F. Sbigoli, Milan,
1884.

138 Italian Sketches.

the principal personages was a Prussian, Baron Phillip
Stosch, a great archaeologist and numismate ; he was a
political spy, first in the service of Holland, then, of
England, and bore an indifferent reputation, particularly
among the English. The first Tuscan received as a
Freemason was the celebrated Dr. Antonio Cocchi, so
often mentioned by Horace Walpole and Horace Mann,
" Dr. Cocchi is better worth chronicling than many of the
Florentine princes." Born at Benevento in 1695, he
studied at Pisa, and, on taking his degree in medicine,
went to practise in Elba. He accompanied Theophilus
Hastings, Lord Huntingdon, to England, and remained
three years in London, afterwards travelling with his
patron, who often left him without money to buy bread.
The Princess of Wales wanted Dr. Cocchi to enter
her service, but he refused, and returned to Tuscany in
1726, when Jean Gaston named him Professor of Medi-
cine at Pisa, but, being a poor orator, he exchanged to
the schools of Florence, where he taught anatomy. Dr.
Cocchi was a man of prodigious memory, considerable
talent, and great literary taste ; he was the friend of all
the foreigners in Florence, and had a special admiration
for the English character and mode of life. Add to this
that he edited and printed the first edition of " Benvenuto
Cellini," and we shall not wonder the Head Inquisitor
suspected him and warned him to be very cautious.
Tommaso Crudeli, Giuseppe Cerretesi, Antonio Nic-

To mm a so Crude ll 139

colini, Paolino Dolce, and the Abbes Franceschi, Otta-
viano Bonaccorsi, and Buondelmonti, are the chief
names among the sixty Florentine Masons ; but it does
not appear that they were very assiduous frequenters of
the meetings, and after the famous Bull published in
Rome in April, 1738, by Clement XIL, denouncing Free-
masonry, they ceased altogether to attend. Even John
Collins was intimidated, and, in concert with Tommaso
Crudeli, who appears to have been the secretary, and
with Lord Fane, the English minister, persuaded Lord
Raymond, the Master, to dissolve the Lodge.

Paolino Dolci, mentioned above, was one of the
personal attendants of Jean Gaston, and bore a vile
name ; he was celebrated for his beauty, and is lam-
pooned in the satires of that time in Florentine Billings-
gate of a most forcible kind.

Antonio Niccolini, a cadet of a noble Tuscan family,
donned the priest's robe, without however taking orders,
in order to enjoy the many ecclesiastical benefices
belonging to his house, and to have leisure for study.
Celebrated enough during his life, he is now all but
forgotten. Like most of the Florentine nobility, Abbe
Niccolini was educated by the Jesuits, but having
travelled in Germany, Holland, France, and England,
and formed friendships with the most illustrious men of
those countries, he returned with enlightened and liberal
ideas, and was in consequence called a Jansenist. The

i4o Italian Sketches.

Prince of Wales, afterwards George II., paid the Abbe
much attention in London; so, on his return, Cosmo III.
exiled him from Tuscany, under suspicion of being an
innovator and a libertine. This caused Montesquieu to
say, "My friend Niccolini must have said some huge
truth." The Grand Duke only relented after a year of
incessant intercession on the part of the high clergy.
Abbe Niccolini then went to Rome, and became a
prelate; but he was too high-minded and liberal to
be tolerated by the Curia, and soon returned to his
fine palace in Via dei Servi in Florence, where the
musical entertainments of the Abbe Marquis became
celebrated. M. de Brosses says that he never met any
one who united such clearness of intellect with so much
grace, and such a powerful memory with so facile a
delivery. He talked equally well on the last mode of
dressing hair or a proposition of Newton. He had a
large share in the fourth edition of the " Vocabulary of
the Crusca," and it was at his expense that the Madonna
di Foligno was engraved at the time that he reclaimed
and drained the plain round that city. In the interesting
collection of his letters to Giovanni Bottari, we see that
although he only belonged to the Freemasons for a
short time, yet he always retained the tolerant spirit
and love of progress which characterize that body. A
man who in 1761 could write as follows is of no common
stamp : —

Tommaso Crude Li. i4i

" I should wish for intelligence and true religion in a
Pope. The latter is of no use without the former;
sanctity without doctrine, as Saint Gregory Nazianzen
teaches, leaves a man with only one eye instead of the
two he ought to have. Bigots will always be deceived
by people who are cleverer than themselves, and will ruin
religion and the Apostolic See, which cannot exist
without doctrine, or, rather, without good sense. Rome
is rapidly going to pieces, and is discredited all over the
world."

Abbe Niccolini died at Rome on the 4th of October,
1769, and they say that Emperor Joseph II. cried on
hearing of his death. His tomb in the church of Trinita
dei Monti, was probably destroyed by the French soldiers
in the beginning of this century.

Giuseppe Maria Buondelmonti was another of the
Masonic body. Born in Florence in 17 13, Soria calls
him "the most learned and the most talented of the
Florentine nobility." A poet, an orator, and a philo-
sopher, he was chosen to preach the funeral orations in
honour of Jean Gaston, of Charles VI., and of the
mother of Francis of Lorraine, in San Lorenzo. To-
gether with Andrea Bonducci, author and printer, he
translated the "Rape of the Lock," and was a great
admirer of all the works of Pope. Gray wrote an
" Imitation of an Italian Sonnet by Signor Abbate
Buondelmonti," and turned a song of his into Latin,

iA2 Italian Sketches.

while Horace Walpole put it into English. Many of
my readers may remember it in Horace Walpole : —

" Spesso Amor sot to la forma
D'amista ride, e s'asconde ;
Poi si mischia e si confonde
Con lo sdegno e col rancor.
In pietade ei si trasforma,
Par trastulla e par dispetto ;
Ma nel tuo diverso aspetto,
Sempre egli e l'istesso Amor."

" Risit amicitise interdium velatus amictu,
Et bene composita veste fefellit Amor :
Mox irae assumpsit cultus faciemque minantem,
Inque odium versus, versus et in lacrymas :
Ludentem fuge, nee lacrimanti aut crede furenti
Idem est dissimili semper in ore Deus. '

(" Love often in the comely mien
Of friendship fancies to be seen ;
Soon again he shifts his dress,
And wears disdain and rancour's face.
To gentle pity then he changes
Thro' wantonness, thro' piques he ranges ;
But, in whatever shape he move,
He's still himself, and still is Love.")

Buondehnonti was named member of the Crusca, and
instead of treating some abstruse question of grammar
or rhetoric in his first speech, he chose the subject of
war; particularly recommending that all unnecessary
cruelty should be abolished, and suggesting the idea of
an European Congress to be appealed to as arbitrator.
This enlightened ecclesiastic died young at Pisa, in 1757.

Tommaso Crude li. 143

Tommaso Crudeli was born in 1703 at Poppi, the

picturesque ancient capital of the Casentino. He

studied Latin in his native town, and then went to

Florence under the well-known canon of San Lorenzo,

Pier Francesco Tocci. At eighteen, Crudeli went to

Pisa, and, after taking his degrees, visited Padua and

Venice, where he remained nine months as preceptor

in the Contarini family; returning to Poppi, he made

frequent visits to Florence, becoming celebrated for

his wit and pleasant manners and his " magnificent

nose," which is mentioned in several comic poems of

that time. In 1733 he settled entirely in Florence,

earning his living by giving Italian lessons to the

numerous English residents, with whom he was an

universal favourite. Crudeli suffered terribly at times

from asthma, but that did not prevent his being a

prominent member of the Academy of the Apathists,

where he often exercised his talent for improvising, and

also wrote verses and lyric poems. Hearing from his

English pupils of the pleasant Masonic meetings, he was

seized with a desire to join the brotherhood, but being

afraid of the Holy Inquisition, he hesitated until he

heard that Dr. A. Cocchi, two Augustine friars of Santo

Spirito, and Paolino Dolci had become members; he

became a Mason in 1735, an^ dined frequently at John

Collins's.

When Bernardo Tannuci became minister to Charles

i4+ Italian Sketches.

III. of Naples, he invited his friend and pupil, Tommaso
Crudeli, to go there as court poet, with a stipend of
fifty ducats a month. Unfortunately he refused, or he
might have lived to do something really great in
literature. He was one of the first Italians who tried
his hand at the fable, and some of his free versions of " La
Fontaine " are admirable. He translated " Le Superbe "
by Destouches, and it was given in the theatre at Poppi,
with a prologue, turning the existing Italian theatre into
ridicule, and paving the way for the reform which,
thanks to Goldini, was carried out a few years afterwards.
In the person of the Censor, understood to be himself,
Crudeli says : —

" I am all for laughter, but not for that of a low buffoon,
Which kills noble pity in every breast,
And make matrons bend their heads and blush."

And again : — '

"... Laugh at the blushes
Called into your cheek, fair, gentle woman ;
That laughter is born of an injury done to you ;
But all do not laugh : hidden anger
Swells the breast of the father,
For that lascivious jest is a grave insult
Done to him, to his wife, and his daughter."

Crudeli does, however, call a spade by its proper
name, and some of his poems which then had a great
reputation are quite unreadable. We must remember,
however, that he only followed the fashion of his day,

TOMMASO CRUDELI. 145

and that we could cite various reverend authors of most
licentious poems.

The house where Tommaso Crudeli lived as a youth
at Poppi, was opposite the monastery of the Friars of
Vallombrosa, whose life was not of a character to edify
the townspeople, or to inculcate religion and decency ;
this, no doubt, contributed to the covert dislike and
distrust he had of the clergy in general, whose ire he
roused by the ode written on the death of Filippo
Buonarroti, praising him for the firmness he showed in
resisting the exorbitant pretensions of the priests. From
that moment the Nuncio and the Chief Inquisitor began
to collect evidence against our poet, and determined on
his ruin. They had not long to wait. When the last
Medici died on the 9th of July, 1737, the priests hoped
to regain their ancient supremacy in Palazzo Pitti,
through the favour of the Electress Palatine, who at
first had great influence with Francis of Lorraine. The
Archbishop of Florence and the Apostolic Nuncio,
Monsignor Stoppani, as well as the Inquisitor Ambrogi,
who had a large share in the Bull of 1738, were most
anxious to find out the secret of the Freemasons, and
seizing a priest, Bernini by name, tried to threaten and
cajole him into denouncing his brother Masons.

In January, 1739, tne Grand Duke Francis and his
wife, Maria Theresa, entered Florence amid great re-
joicings. Francis was an industrious man, animated

L

146 Italian Sketches.

with the best intentions towards Tuscany, perfectly
tolerant in religion, and jealous of any encroachment
on his sovereign power. He had become a Freemason
some years before, and could not therefore be expected
to view the tribunal of the Inquisition, unknown in
Lorraine, with favour. Yet this humane and tolerant
man was so fearful of offending the Pope and his own
wife, who was a bigot, and of rousing the diffidence and
animosity often shown towards foreigners by the Italians,
that he allowed himself to be made an instrument of, to
persecute an innocent man and a brother Mason.

After the Lodge had been dissolved, some of the
members used to meet at the house of Baron Stosch, a
foreigner, a Protestant, and a man of indifferent cha-
racter, and soon the most extravagant stories were
circulated about the proceedings at these meetings.

At that time all good Catholics were obliged to confess
at Easter, under pain of being conducted to church by
two policemen. The Jesuits made such good use of the
confessional that they collected four accusations against
Tommaso Crudeli, the Abbe Buonaccorsi, and Cerretesi.
One of these was signed by Andrea Minerbetti, who was
half-witted; another by a priest named Grossi, whom
Crudeli had lampooned for his vanity and ill-breeding
some years before. The latter accused the poet of
denying the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, the
authority of the Holy Inquisition, and of saying in the

Tommaso Crude li. 147

house of Baron Stosch that he considered St. John
the Evangelist was an ass.

With these documents, and a letter from Cardinal Neri
Corsini, nephew of Clement XII. , the Archbishop of
Florence, the Nuncio, and the Chief Inquisitor waited on
the Grand Duke a few days before his departure for the
war in Hungary against the Turks. The cardinal prayed
Francis to exile Lord Raymond and Baron Stosch, to
arrest the chief criminals professing themselves Masons,
but who were a disgrace to that body, and to purge the
University of Pisa of the old professors, and entrust its
management to the Archbishop of Pisa, Monsignor
Cerati, a zealous and saintly personage. He finished
his letter with a threat of withdrawing the Nuncio from
Florence.

The Grand Duke made more resistance than was
expected, and recourse was had to the Jesuit father
confessors of the Electress and the Grand Duchess.
Francis still hesitated, and called the secretary of state,
Abbe Giandomenico Tornaquinci, to counsel, who ad-
vised compliance with the Chief Inquisitor's demands.
So at length orders were given to exile Baron Stosch and to
imprison Crudeli and Buonaccorsi. The order of banish-
ment was sent to Stosch, who at once called on Horace
Mann, the English Resident, to protect him. Mann with
some difficulty obtained, first, a delay of eight days,
and then the suspension of the order until the King of

i48 Italian Sketches.

England should reply to a letter Francis wrote to him on
this subject. We must suppose that the answer was
satisfactory, as the Baron remained undisturbed in
Florence until his death, in 1757.

Fearing that the falsity of the accusations against
Crudeli and Buonaccorsi would be brought under the
notice of the Grand Duke, Father Ambrogi did not call
on the Bargello (head executioner) to arrest them until
some days after Francis had left Florence. Buonaccorsi
fell dangerously ill, so only Crudeli was suddenly seized
at midnight on Saturday, the 9th of May, while return-
ing to his house in Borgo S. Croce. He was taken
to the public prison, and thence transferred to the cells
of the Inquisition. The news was at first received with
derision, but when it proved true, astonishment and
sorrow were universal. Gaiety and fun were banished
the city, and the vicar of the Chief Inquisitor having
declared that ugf Jnglese erart molto pericolosi" all
foreigners, and the English in particular, were shunned as
though they were lepers.

In spite of a promise of kind treatment to Counts de
Richecourt and Rucellai, Tommasi Crudeli was kept for
thirty-six days in a cell six paces long, with a small
aperture into a dark passage. A dirty bed, swarming
with vermin, was put into this hole, and the refinement
of cruelty was carried so far as to deny him a light at
night, in spite of his infirmity. No doctor was called in,

Tommaso Crude li. 149

though twice the friar who attended him said he was
dying. At length the news of this ill-treatment began to
be bruited about in Florence, and Crudeli was removed
to a larger room, after the window had been almost
entirely bricked up, and the sick man, used to gay
society and every comfort of life, was shut up in the
dark, deprived of books, pens, paper, and friends.
Several times the Inquisitor, Father Ambrogi, interro-
gated him, but, in spite of the miserably infirm state in
which he was, could never entrap him into admitting his
own guilt or accusing others. At length, by bribery, the
friends and relations of Crudeli contrived to receive
letters from him, which were shown to Count de Riche-
court. The Duke of Newcastle was induced by the
English residents of Florence to order Horace Mann to
represent to the Regency of Tuscany that it was against
the honour of England to permit the unhappy poet to be
kept in prison for the crime of being a Freemason and
a friend of the English.

After thirteen long months of suffering, Tommaso
Crudeli was given up by the Inquisition to the civil
power, to be imprisoned in the Fortezza da Basso. He
had broken a blood-vessel, and was in a rapid decline,
but wrote to the Council of Regency, " Now my honour
and peace of mind are in safe keeping, and I trust
my liberty will soon follow." Meanwhile the poor, half-
witted Minerbetti had been tormented by conscientious

150 Italian Sketches.

scruples about his confession, and, calling a notary,
retracted the whole story. At length, on the 20th of
August, 1740, Tommaso Crudeli was taken to the church
of San Piero Scheraggio, under the Uffizzi (now sup-
pressed), to hear his sentence. The Regency refused to
allow the proceedings to be public, as the Inquisitor had
taken no notice of the retraction of Minerbetti, and
several of the most respectable citizens and men of
letters were implicated in his insane ravings. After a
long admonition, Father Ambrogi condemned Tommaso
Crudeli to retire to his own house at Poppi, which he
was only to leave in order to attend Mass at the opposite
church of the Friars of Vallombrosa, and to recite the
seven penitential psalms once a month under penalty of
paying a thousand scudi for religious purposes. This
was, I believe, the last sentence promulgated by the
Holy Inquisition in Tuscany.

In April, 1741, Crudeli was declared free, through the
good offices of the new Nuncio Archinto, with Pope
Benedict XII., who, it is said, was himself a Free-
mason ; and the poor poet returned to Florence, where
he died, aged forty-three, in January, 1745, with words
of forgiveness to his enemies on his lips.

Francis of Lorraine was so moved when, on his return,
he read the authentic documents, that in 1743 he or-
dered the prisons of the Inquisition to be thrown open,
and for eleven years kept their tribunal entirely closed.

Tommaso Crude li. 151

Afterwards he put all tribunals under the civil law, only
allowing the Inquisition a shadow of their former power.
Peter Leopold took advantage of the incessant pre-
tensions advanced by the Chief Inquisitor, and abolished
the famous tribunal altogether in 1782.

SAN GIMIGNANO DELLE BELLE TORRE.

" Thou hast a word of that one land of ours
And of the fair town called of the fair towers ;
A word for me of my San Gimignan,
A word of April's greenest-girdled hours. "

Swinburne.

For many miles round, San Gimignano is seen crowning
the hill, its square towers breaking the sky-line in a quaint
and picturesque manner. What vicissitudes have those
high towers seen, and what famous men have passed
through the old gate which still frowns defiance at the
peaceful traveller !

Poggibonsi, the station for San Gimignano on the
Florence and Siena line, has, like most Italian towns and
villages, an interesting history. The old castle, whose ruins
we see on the hill above the village, was taken and dis-
mantled by the Florentines in 1257, to punish the people
for their Ghibelline tendencies ; ten years later, Charles of
Anjou spent four months in besieging it, and, furious at
being balked by so insignificant a place, nearly all Italy
having submitted to him after his victory at Benevento
over Manfred, he ordered a strong fortress to be built

154 Italian Sketches.

inside the old castle walls, and left a governor there. As
soon as Conradin arrived in Italy to try and wrest his
birthright from French supremacy, the townspeople rose
and turned out the Angiovines and Florentines, declaring
for Conradin. But when he succumbed at Tagliacozzo
(August 23rd, 1268), and the Florentines defeated the
Sienese on the heights of Colle, Count Guido di Monfort,
governor of Tuscany for Charles of Anjou, joined the
Florentine army, and Poggibonsi again underwent the
horrors of a siege. The castle and the fortress were
razed, and the inhabitants, deprived of all civil rights,
were forced to quit their old city, and, descending into
the plain near the torrent Staggia, founded the present
townlet. The commanding position tempted the Emperor
Henry VII., in 1313, to rebuild the old castle and sur-
round it with stockades ; he called it Poggio Imperiale,
and lived there for two months.

On the road from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano, we
passed near the mediaeval castle of Strozzavolpe, once a
stronghold of the Salimbeni of Siena, celebrated in the
verses of Salvator Rosa, who painted some of his finest
pictures there, when staying with his friends, the Riccardi
of Florence, who owned the place for several centuries.
Further up the valley, we came in view of the towers of
unequal height, and the grey walls of the old town stood
out against the blue sky. The country is rich and smib
ing, and the contadini were busy tying up their vines

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 155

and cutting green fodder for their cattle, while the hedge-
rows were enamelled with flowers glowing in the bright
April sun. We soon came to the foot of the hill, and
entering the more modern line of walls, built in the
thirteenth century, drove up a narrow paved street and
through a frowning double gateway, where the incline
was so steep that our gallant little horses had to be
encouraged with much cracking of whips and calling upon
Sant' Antonio, into the Piazza della Cisterna ; then, turn-
ing round the base of one of the square high towers, we
found ourselves in the Piazza della Collegiata, in front
of the old Municipal Palace, and transported back into
the middle ages.

How out of place and unreal the people walking about
in modern dress looked ! We pictured to ourselves the
gallant train following Dante Alighieri when he came as
ambassador from the city of Florence on the 8th of May,
1299, and dismounting in great pomp and state at the
foot of the very steps we stood on, went up into the
Council-hall, and by his fiery eloquence carried everything
before him ; or the more martial escort of Niccolo
Machiavelli, who, in May, 1507, came to San Gimignano
to raise and order a regiment of burghers to fight against
Pisa in the Florentine interest.

Mounting the steep steps, we entered the great Hall of
Council, decorated with several fine pictures from sup-
pressed churches and monasteries, and with an immense

156 Italian Sketches.

fresco by Lippo Memmi, very similar to his well-known
work in the Palazzo Pubblico at Siena. At the feet of
the majestic Virgin kneels the donor, Messer Nello de'
Tolomei, in his podesta robes ; the canopy which shields
her and the Infant Jesus is upheld by angels and San
Gimignano. Under the Madonna, in Gothic letters, is
written, " Lippus Memi de Senis me pinxit" and lower
down, in Roman characters, " Al tempo di Messer Nello
di Messer Mino di Tolomei di Siena, onorevole potesta e
chapilano del Chomune e del popolo della Terra di San
Gimignano, MCCCXVII." This important work of
art was damaged in 146 1 by opening two doors into
adjacent rooms, and the great Benozzo Gozzoli did not
disdain to repair it, as is seen by the following inscrip-
tion in the right-hand corner : " Benotius Florentinus
Pictor restaur avil Anno Domini M°CCCC°LXVII0" A
portion of the original intarsia-work benches are still in
their places, where the councillors and rectors used to
sit " decently habited with a hood and tunic or a chlamys
of sober colour." The Municipal Council still meet here,
and let us hope they lay to heart the apt sentence inscribed
above the seat of the Provost of the Priors —

"Priposto,
Odi benigno ciascun che propone.
Risponde grazioso e fa ragione." *

* " Provost, listen benignantly to all who propound. Reply
graciously, and do justice."

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 157

On one side of the great hall is the small and elegant
tribune decorated with the line, Animus hi consulendo liber,
in intarsia work. Here it was that Dante advocated the
cause of the Guelphs and induced the people of San
Gimignano to send their representatives to a meeting of
the Tuscan league at Florence. This is commemorated
by an inscription on one marble slab, while close by is
another in honour of the great modern Italian statesman,
Cavour.

One of the doors which cut off the legs of the saints in
the fresco by Memmi leads into a smaller back room,
where the Provost and the Priors held their private meet-
ings to discuss matters before laying them before the
General Council. The intarsia benches all round the room
are fine examples of 1475, an<3 are decorated with verses
written by Filippo Buonaccorsi, surnamed " II Calli-
maco : " —

11 Pergite, Silviadse, Romano sanguine creti,
Pace frui, legesque sacras, atque omnibus sequam
Unanimes servare fidem : sed tollite, si quis
Excitat adversos discordi fcedere cives,
Et veterum moveant, et vos exempla novorum.
Evellenda prius, sterilis quam crescat avena.
Dogmata, ut hoec servant subsellia publica, cives
Quis cura est Silvi, sic pectore fixa tenete." *

* " Ye sons of Silvius, sprung from a Roman stock, continue to
enjoy peace, and living in harmony to preserve the sacred laws and
equal faith to all men. But if any one endeavours to stir up your
fellow-citizens by a hostile compact, away with him. Follow in
this the example set by those of old and by those of modern times.

158 Italian Sketches.

There are various frescoes in other rooms of the old
palace; but the most interesting are downstairs in the
chapel of the prison, now an office for the Attorney of the
Commune, who most appropriately sits under the effigy of
the patron saint of all lawyers, St. Ives. This fresco is
attributed to Sodoma, and is worthy of his hand. St.
Ives is seated, hearing cases, and widows, orphans and
beggars are imploring him to see that justice should be
done. Two angels uphold the arms of the Machiavelli
family, from which we may infer that it was painted in
1507, when Messer Giovan Battista Machiavelli was
podesta. On the opposite wall is an inferior fresco,
much damaged, with allegorical figures of Truth, Prudence,
and Falsehood, the latter writhing under the foot of a
seated and grave-looking judge. In one corner is
written : —

" Per quel che pecha 1'huS per quel patisce,
Cava tu, verita, a la bugia
La falsa lingua, qual sempre mentisce." *

The small courtyard into which this room opens is
wonderfully picturesque. A loggia, with traces of painting,

The barren weed must be rooted out ere it spreads. And as these
maxims are preserved (by being inscribed) upon these public seats,
so do ye, O citizens, as you revere Silvius, keep them for ever in
your hearts."

* For his sins, man suffers.
Tear thou out, truth, from falsehood
The false tongue, which ever lies."

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 159

runs round three sides on the first floor, upheld by-
slender columns, and an old well stands on one side.
The high tower was begun ten years after the palace,
in 1298, owing to a quarrel between the Council of the
People and the priest of the adjacent Collegiate Church
about ringing the bells. So the Council determined to
have their own bell-tower, and each podesta added to its
height, affixing their arms to the piece built by them.
It is 172^ feet high, and rests on a large arch; though
it has been struck by lightning eleven times, it does not
appear to have suffered.

The Collegiate Church stands at right angles to the
Municipal Palace high above the piazza; a flight of
twenty-five steps leads up to the doors, and, though
much spoilt by successive alterations, traces of the original
design by Matteo Brunisemd in 1239 are still apparent.
The dim religious light of the fine interior is only
sufficient to enable one to see that all the walls are
frescoed. Benozzo Gozzoli, the great Florentine artist,
painted the fresco of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian
between the doors, — Ad laudem gloriosissimi athletes
Sancti Sebasttani Paradise and hell are depicted on
the side-walls by Taddeo Bartolo, of Siena (1393); very
quaint is the punishment of the gluttons, who sit round
a sumptuously spread table, while hideous demons pre-
vent them from stretching forth their hands to reach the
food. The roof is azure blue, with gold stars, and frescoes

160 Italian Sketches.

by Domenico da Firenze (? Ghirlandajo) Pier Francesco
di Bartolomeo, also a Florentine, and Sebastiano Mainardi,
of San Gimignano. The nave on the left is frescoed by
Bartolo di Fredi, of Siena (1356), but modern restoration
has injured his work terribly. Opposite are scenes from
the New Testament by Berna da Siena, who fell from
the scaffolding and was killed in 1380. Giovanni da
Ascanio, his pupil, completed the work. "The people
of San Gimignano were greatly attached to Berna, and
buried him with considerable pomp," says Vasari, " not
ceasing for many months to hang laudatory epitaphs in
Latin and in the vulgar tongue round his tomb, the men
of that town being much addicted to letters." Indeed,
the quantity of inscriptions, epitaphs, and proverbs
painted and sculptured in every conceivable place in the
little town is astonishing.

The chief ornament of the church is the lovely chapel
of Santa Fina, with frescoes by Ghirlandajo. Fina
de' Ciardi was born of noble but very poor parents,
and lost her father in early childhood. Her great
beauty and charm of manner attracted universal admira-
tion ; but she was extremely devout, and, falling ill, chose
to lie on a narrow board, without mattress or covering,
so that at last her flesh adhered to the wood. On her
mother's sudden death, a charitable Donna Bonaventura
took charge of her and her nurse, and soon afterwards
St. Gregory appeared to the young girl in a dream and

Sajv Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 161

announced her approaching death. On the 12th of
March, 1253, the bells rang a solemn peal untouched by-
human hands, and round the hard couch sprang up
yellow wallflowers, fiore di Santa Find, which to this
day crown the towers of San Gimignano with a golden
glory. Fina was dead \ but, before burial, she raised her
hand, and a blind deacon opened his eyes and saw, while
her nurse Beldia regained her lost health. Other
miracles followed, and in 1325 it was decided to build
a chapel in honour of the youthful saint. Political events
and the plague delayed the execution of this decision
until 1465, when Giuliano da Majano was called from
Florence to design the chapel. The beautiful altar of
white marble is one of the finest works of Benedetto da
Majano ; unfortunately, the sarcophagus which contained
the bones of Santa Fina was removed in 1738 to make
room for a new one, and now stands in the oratory of
St. John. The two frescoes by Ghirlandajo are very
lovely : to the right, St. Gregory announces to the sick
girl her approaching death, and in the clouds is her soul
borne aloft by angels ; opposite is her funeral, and the
hand of the dead saint is raised towards the blind
deacon. Up in the tower in the background sits an
angel tolling the bell, to commemorate the mysterious
ringing of bells at the death of Fina. Sebastiano
Mainardi, pupil and brother-in-law of Ghirlandajo, painted
the roof of the chapel, which has been spoiled by

162 Italian Sketches.

restoration. In the sacristy is a wonderfully lifelike bust,
also by Benedetto, of Pietro Onofrio, who in 1463 was
elected by his fellow-citizens controller of the works of
the church for life, an unheard-of honour, due to " his
well-known and tried honesty and capacity ; he died
amid universal tears of grief in 1488, and his funeral
was attended by a great concourse of people in St.
Domenico, who saluted him as the Father of the
Poor."

From the church door the view of the small square is
striking. To the right, rises the majestic Palazzo del
Podesta with its rounded windows, iron balcony, and
immense tower ; on the left, the slender twin towers of
the Ardinghelli, the great family whose quarrels with
the Salvucci were an incessant source of trouble to their
native city, still look down on the spot where, in August,
1352, the two handsome sons of Gualtiero degli Ardin-
ghelli were beheaded by order of Messer Benedetto degli
Strozzi, of Florence, captain of the people, who espoused
the cause of the Salvucci. Opposite is the original
Municipal Palace, with its immense loggia, where justice
was administered, and its high tower, called La Rognosa
until 1407, when a clock was placed in it, and it became
DelP Oriolo. By an ancient edict, no tower belonging to
any private person was allowed to exceed in height
La Rognosa (160 feet). After the erection of the other
palace, this edifice was devoted to the reception of

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 163

foreigners of distinction who visited San Gimignano.
Now it has been turned into a theatre.

Turning to the left, we strolled down the picturesque
streets, and seeing a long, low arch at the end of a lane,
walked towards it and came to the small church of San
Jacopo, commonly called " II Tempio." Tradition says
that a Messer Ruggiero Baccinelli, with others from San
Gimignano, went to the first Crusade, and returning thence
laden with treasure, about 1096 built a palace and
church for the Knights Templar. These latter, render-
ing themselves odious to the people, were turned out,
their palace pillaged and destroyed, and their lands and
church given to the Knights of Malta. Now San
Jacopo belongs to the nunnery opposite, and the nuns
pass over the covered archway unseen to hear Mass
from the latticed windows in the ancient church, all
covered with faded frescoes of the thirteenth century.

Ivy and clematis hung in garlands from the arch, and
as we passed under it a splendid panorama burst on our
sight. To the left was the convent of Monte Uliveto,
the townlet of Marcialla crowned the nearest hill, and
Vico, a small yellow-grey-walled village, looked almost
like an opal in the sun's rays. On the second range of
hills lay Linari, and more to the right, surrounded with
black cypresses, rose the tall campanile of San Leuchese ;
still further away was Pietra Fitta, and a villa and
large park belonging to Amedeus, Duke of Aosta,

164 Italian Sketches.

made a dark spot on the slope of the hill. The busy
little town of Colle di Val d'Elsa was more to the right
still, and all around range after range of pearl-grey and
lilac hills melted away into the far distance. At our
feet was green sward, and a shepherdess with her flock of
goats and sheep passed slowly along, plying her distaff
and singing in a sweet minor key about a knight who
met a shepherdess and warned her of a wolf. She
laughed at his warning ; but the wolf swallows her pet
kid, and she begs the knight to pierce the brute's stomach
with his glittering sword, promising to give him wool and
goat's hair when she shears her flock. The knight says
he is no merchant of wool or cloth, but that for one
kiss of love from her sweet mouth he will do her bidding.
The kid jumps out of the wolf's stomach into his mistress's
arms, and all ends joyfully. Pear and cherry trees were
in full bloom, glistening like new-fallen snow in the
bright sun ; while at our backs rose the irregular houses
and tall towers of San Gimignano and the old convent
walls all aglow with Santa Fina's golden flowers, which
scented the air and attracted butterflies and bees in
swarms.

Not far from the Templars' church is St. Agostino,
ugly enough outside, but containing many fine pictures,
and, above all, the delightful frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli,
which cover the whole choir. In seventeen compart-
ments he has represented the life of St. Augustine, from

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 165

his first whipping by the schoolmaster of Tegaste to his
death. We sat entranced by the naivete and fun in the
earlier scenes of the career of Augustine, while yet a sinner,
as well as by the beauty of the compositions after his
conversion ; every head must have been done from life
and con amore. The same artist painted the fine fresco
of St. Sebastian holding out his cloak to shield the pious
San Gimignanese from the plague of 1464. Close to
this altar is a curious tombstone of the Benzi family ; a
skeleton, with the words ibi, ubi, and at the four corners,
nasci horror : vivere labor : mori dolor ; resurgere decor.
Opposite is an altar dedicated to the favourite saint of
this part of the world, Bartolo, son of Giovanni Buon-
pedoni, Count of Mucchio, and of Gentina, his wife. As
a child, he was so amiable and charming that his com-
panions named him "Angelo dipace" (angel of peace); in
old age, he was called the Tuscan Job, from the patience
with which he bore the horrible leprosy which afflicted
him for twenty-two years. Bartolo died in 1299, aged
seventy-two, and, by his desire, was buried in St. Agostino.
So many miracles were worked at his tomb, particularly
on possessed persons, that a railing was placed round it
in 1359 for safety, and in 1488 the commune of San
Gimignano determined to set aside the product of the
grist tax for three years in order to erect a chapel worthy
of his fame, and Benedetto da Majano was charged with
the work. On the front of the marble sarcophagus is a

1 66 Italian Sketches.

bronze slab with the words, Ossa Divi Bartoli Gemini-
anensis malorum geniorum fugatoris, and on either side is
sculptured an angel ; below, in the " dossale " of the altar,
are seated statuettes of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and a
predella, with scenes from the life of St. Bartolo. Above
the sarcophagus is a lovely roundel, an alto-relievo of the
Madonna and Child, in a rich frame of cherubs' heads,
flowers, and leaves. Two exquisitely sculptured angels
stand in front, adoring the Virgin; on either side is a
candelabrum of fine design ; while from the arch above a
curtain of white marble, delicately arabesqued in gold,
hangs in folds so light that one could fancy it moved
with the draught from the open door.

Many are the churches and convents in San Gimi-
gnano, and all contain fine pictures or frescoes, or
sculpture; but we were bent on seeing the view from
the Rocca di Montestaffoli, the castle built in 1354 by
order of the Florentines after they had subjugated San
Gimignano. High behind the Collegiate Church we
climbed a rough road towards the ruin, and found our-
selves on the threshing-floor of a peasant's house. We
were welcomed by a smiling contadina with several pretty
children, one of whom was despatched to find Gigino to
show us the way. A handsome young fellow came out
of the stable and led us through the house, upstairs and
downstairs, into the orchard, which covers about a
quarter of a mile, and was once the courtyard of the

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 167

castle. The machicolated walls are high, here and there
interrupted by round towers, now used for storing hay,
straw, beans, and agricultural implements. In the centre
was a huge well, with a narrow neck and sides sloping
outwards, all covered with a trellis of peaches and vines.
We mounted to the top of the largest tower, and were
well rewarded for our climb. Towards the north, was
the Capucine Convent, surrounded with grey walls and
dark cypresses ; further back lay the town of Gambasso ;
and in the far distance the two tall towers of San Miniato
al Tedesco, a landmark for sixty miles round, stood out
dark against the sky. Certaldo, the birthplace of

" Him who form'd the Tuscan's siren tongue,"
was pointed out to us with pride by the peasant lad, and
then a purple-black storm-cloud swept up, hiding the
distant hills and towers and grey townlets, while in front
the sun gilded the white villas. We turned southwards,
and saw another storm rising, and in a few moments the
rival clouds hurtled and crashed together, and a thunder-
bolt fell straight as an arrow towards Colle. Gigino
crossed himself and muttered a prayer, while we were
lost in admiration at the play of light and shade on the
rolling landscape, and on the weatherbeaten towers of
San Gimignano lit up with brilliant patches of yellow on
their summits, where St. Fina's flower was in full bloom.
Below us were the grey, crumbling walls of the old fortress,
garlanded with ivy and clematis, and fringed with inses,

168 Italian Sketches.

wallflowers, and peach-blossom ; where once was fighting
and bloodshed, the peaceful olives shimmered silver-
bright as their slender branches were tossed hither and
thither by the storm-wind, and at their feet the gladioli
were just showing pink flowers and the grass was thick
with star-like daisies.

We found an excellent dinner at the primitive little
inn, next door to the Municipal Palace, and some of
the Vernaccia wine, celebrated by Redi in his popular
poem, "Bacco in Toscana."

" Se vi e alcuno, a cui non piaccia

La Vernaccia
Vendemmiata in Pietrafitta,

Interdetto,

Maladetto,
Fugga via dal mio cospetto. " *

We had remarked what a fine face the old hostess
had, and she told us that she was the last descendant
of Michael Angelo Buonarotti. Bitterly did she complain
that her great-uncle had left all his patrimony to the city
of Florence to keep up the Michael Angelo Museum.
"If he had left me only a few thousand francs I might
have made such an inn. I have written to Umberto,
the king, to beg him to lend me two thousand francs,
to make my place worthy of the strangers who come.
You see we were such simple folk in the old days, and

* "If there is any one who does not like Vernaccia vintaged at
Pietrafitta, interdicted, cursed, let him fly from me."

San Gimignano delle Belle Torre. 169

now people are very luxurious. But he has not answered
me," added she, with a sigh. We were, however, very-
comfortable, and the whole Giusti family did their best
to entertain us, even getting us the municipal box at the
theatre for four shillings, where we saw La porteuse de
pain, in Italian, very well given. The principal actress
had been with Salvini in London, playing Desdemona
to his Othello. We retired to rest at midnight, but the
rank and fashion of San Gimignano did not leave the
theatre till past two.

Next day we drove to Volterra, quoting Swinburne's
beautiful lines as we left the old town behind us : —

"And far to the fair south-westward lightens,
Girdled and sandaled and plumed with flowers,

At sunset over the sun-lit lands,
The hillside's crown where the wild hill brightens,
Saint Fina's town of the beautiful towers,

Hailing the sun with a hundred hands."

THE BATHS OF CASCIANA.

THE BATHS OF CASCIANA IN JULY.

All the forestieri (strangers) have flown north, for my
countrymen have a knack of leaving Italy just before
she is clothed in her full beauty. June, when it does
not rain, is a lovely month. The hay has been got in,
and the fields are all bright with fresh, green grass ; the
corn is turning golden yellow, and waiting for the 24th
of June, before which day no well-thinking Tuscan — who
all worship St. John, the protecting saint of Florence,
most devoutly; chiefly, I believe, on account of the
fireworks and fun which celebrate his day in the City
of Flowers — ever thinks of reaping. Many a baroccio,
piled high with openwork baskets and boxes full of
yellow and rose-coloured cocoons, is met, going from
the various fattorie or farms to the silk-mills at Pescia.
The fireflies glint and glance all over the country,
causing the moon to look pale, and in the daytime
the cicale buzz and drum from every tree.

On the 1 st of July we left Florence for Pontedera —
a clean, prosperous little town on the Pisan line of rail-
way— where we found a wonderful ramshackle carriage

172 Italian Sketches.

awaiting us. The firocaccia, or carrier, of the Bagni di
Casciana, imagined that English people could not stand
the sun, and so had brought a kind of enormous square
box on wheels, which went at a capital pace along the
excellent road, as smooth as a bowling-green, in the
valley of the little river Era.

At the village of Ponsacco one leaves the high-road
and strikes up towards the hills. In old times Ponsacco
was a fortified town, and in 1363 was taken, during the
wars between Pisa and Florence, by the Florentines,
after a desperate resistance. It reverted, however, to
its old ruler, and in 1406 stood another siege, and
capitulated, with military honours, to Florence, who
governed it mildly and increased its prosperity. But,
according to the old proverb, Fiorentini ciechi, Pisan
traditori, Senesi matti, Lucchesi signori (The Florentines
are blind, the Pisans traitorous, the Sienese mad, and
the Lucchese fine gentlemen), the Pisans sent a certain
Ser Niccolb Piccinino to raise the population against
their new masters, who were nearly all murdered.
Florence, furious at this insult, marched with a large
force against Ponsacco and again took it, after a tre-
mendous fight. The Council of Pisa, many of whose
members had possessions in the valley of the Era, called
the Venetians to their aid and re-conquered the place.
They, however, took the precaution of dismantling the
fortress, and throwing down the walls, and were left in

The Baths of Casciana in July. 173

quiet possession until the times of the Medici, when
Ferdinando gave Ponsacco, with the fine Medicean villa
of Camugliano, to the Marquis Filippo Niccolini, one
of his devoted courtiers.

The fields are cultivated like a market-garden, and
the crops of corn, maize, hemp, flax, and vines were
most luxuriant. The canes grew from eight to ten feet
high, stout and vigorous, while the mulberry-trees are
all pollarded at four feet from the ground, and in many
places formed hedges. We gradually rose to five
hundred feet above the sea, which is about twenty
miles away, and one feels the influence of the sea-
breeze in the delicious, cool, invigorating air. The
banks and hedges were ablaze with wild roses, honey-
suckle, a brilliant chrome-yellow chrysanthemum, large
white convolvulus, and a mallow with mauve-pink flowers
of most graceful growth.

A nine miles' drive through this laughing landscape
brought us to the Baths of Casciana, known to the
Romans as a health-restoring place.

Bagno di Casciana is a small village with a piazza,
where stands the Casino and a church, Sta. Maria de
Aquis, which existed as a priory in 823 ; it has been,
however, so often repaired that little of the ancient
structure is left. In old times the place was called
Castrum de Aquis, or ad Aquas, and afterwards Bagni
d'Acqui, till some forty years ago its name was changed

174 Italian Sketches.

by an edict of the municipal council of Lari to Bagni di
Casciana, thus coupling it with the little town of Casciana,
which is on the hill about two miles away, and whose in-
habitants most cordially dislike the people of the Bagni,
who return their hatred with interest.

Bagno d'Acqui (or di Casciana) is mentioned in various
ancient documents, chiefly belonging to Volterra and to
the Abbey of Morrona, which was founded in 1089 by
Ugoccione, son of Count Gugliemo Bulgaro and of the
Countess Cilia, and given to the order of the Camaldoli,
together with all the land, streams, and aqueducts lying
between the Sora and the Caldana. Twenty years after
this the sons of Ugoccione increased the donation, and
made over to the monks half of the land in the district
of the Corte Aquisana, and Vivaja cum acquis and
acqueductibus, etc. ; so that the baths came into the
possession of the Church in 1109. The convent of the
Badia held this large extent of country until 1135, when
the Abbot Gherardo sold to Uberto, Archbishop of Pisa,
part of the hill, and the castle and district of Acqui
called Vivaja. In 1148 Pope Eugenius III. confirmed
Guidone, Abbot of Morrona, in all his privileges, and in
the possession of what remained of the district of the
Corte Aquisana, of the baths and acqueducts as far as
the Cascina (Balneum et aquceductus usque in Casinam).
In 1 152 the Abbot Jacopo of Morrona sold the pos-
sessions of Montevaso and Montanino to the Archbishop

The Baths of Casciana in July. 175

of Pisa, to raise funds for building the monastery of
Morrona, which still exists, and in 13 16 the Abbot
Silvester d'Anghiari added the cloisters. The abbey-
church is of far more ancient date, and possesses a
quaint picture, said to be anterior to Cimabue.

In 1482 the monastery was suppressed in spite of the
opposition of the Camaldolese order, and all their pos-
sessions were bestowed on the bishops of Volterra, who
had long hankered after them, and who turned the
monastery into a dwelling-house and the church into
a private oratory.

Popular tradition assigns the foundation of the baths
to the famous Countess Mathilde, guided to the place
by her pet hawk, who had lost his feathers, and
regained them after dipping in the waters. In 131 1
the Republic of Pisa ordered the baths to be re-built,
and, with some modifications, they existed till seven-
teen years ago, when the present Casino and baths
were erected. Formerly the men bathed in the basin
of the warm spring itself, and from thence the water
overflowed to the women's bath, losing a consider-
able portion of heat in the transit. The lepers' bath
was further off, and last came a place for horses. The
women rebelled against using the water after the men,
and petitioned to be allowed to bathe all together, if a
dress per tutelare la decenza (for the tutelage of decency)
was worn. This was refused, but the basin where the

176 Italian Sketches.

mineral water comes bubbling up out of the earth was
divided in half by boards, and thus the women were
placed on an equality with the men.

Now there are good baths of white marble, with an
incessant stream of water direct from the spring always
flowing, a doctor is in attendance, and the whole thing
is comfortable and well arranged.

In the Archives of Florence there is a very amusing
document, dated 7th September, 1575, and emanating
from Li Magnifici Signori Nove Conservatori delta Juris-
ditione et Dominio Fiorentino, who were very irate at
the disorder and inconvenience which arose because the
inhabitants of Bagno ad Acqua did not observe the
statutes drawn up, had no care of the baths, and did not
prevent the insolence practised by evil-minded persons,
who went to the said baths more to air their caprices
than for any need of curing aches and pains. The said
magistrates, seeing that the Divine Majesty and nature
had bestowed such a treasure on their dominions as
these most salubrious baths, desire that all men should
aid in maintaining them unsullied from every kind of
evil custom and insolence practised by the aforesaid
people, who only sought amusement, etc.

The ancient tower, part of which is still inhabited by
poor people, at Petraja, as the upper portion of Bagno
di Casciana is called, was doubtless part of the Castello
di Acqui, chief centre of the district Corte Aquisana,

The Baths of Casciana in July. 177

which existed in 1090, before which date no records
exist, they having perished in a fire, following a pestilence
which occurred about that time.

One skirts round the cluster of small cottages sur-
rounding the old tower, on the winding road from Bagno
di Casciana up to the ruin of the castle of Parlascio on
the summit of the hill. It is a good climb, but the road
is, as usual, excellent Leaving Vivaja on the right, a
quaint little hillock, on which stood a church which was
utterly destroyed by the earthquake of 1846, one passes
under some fine chestnut and cherry trees. The under-
growth is fern and heather, and the yellow tiger-lilies
glowed in the broken sunlight.

Parlascio is a huge bluff of rock, rising sheer out of
the hill. On a plateau near the summit is a little church
and three or four cottages. A marble head with a Gothic
inscription is let into the wall on the right hand of the
church door, and on the other a long Gothic inscription
surrounds a small bas-relief of a bishop. As a handsome
contadina told me : —

"Ah! fioverini, sono morti tanti anni fa; erano
sacerdotV (Ah ! poor things, they died many years ago ;
they were priests).

The view from the platform of rock on which the little
church stands is magnificent. To the left Monte Moro,
behind which lies Leghorn, stands out black against the
sky ; and the sea, with here and there a white sail glinting

N

i;8 Italian Sketches.

in the sun, stretches far away. Pisa, with the Carrara
mountains behind, lies in the soft green plain, and in
front is a curious, broken landscape, rounded, water-
washed hillocks, each crowned by a grey townlet with
its tall campanile ; the haze caused by the heat made the
whole land look like a large opal. The nearest grey
town is Morrona, standing on the peak of a hill, near
which, further along the ridge, lies the abbey, now the
villa of a rich Livornese. To the far right Volterra rears
her weather-beaten towers to the sky, perched on the
extreme edge of a high hill like an eagle's nest.

Behind the church a steep little path leads up to the
summit of the ancient castle of Parlascio, whose ruins are
now covered by a vineyard. All memory of its history
has vanished from among the peasantry, and I could find
no mention of it prior to the thirteenth century in the
archives of the Abbey of Morrona. Over the door of
the church is an inscription, saying that it was conse-
crated on the 26th May, 1444 (Pisan style), and built by
the Counts of Upezzinghi of Pisa, lords of the castle.

We skirted the top of a long ridge of hills and drove
through, or rather round Casciana, to Lari, the seat of
the pretor, or magistrate, and of the municipal council,
and chief place of the commune. Lari is a nice little
town, perched on the top of a hill ; and out of the centre
of the market-place rises a quadrangular castle, built of
red brick. The massive walls, rising at an acute angle,

The Baths oh Casciana in July. 179

stand frowning some hundred feet above one, perfectly-
smooth — no bastion, no tower, breaks the line.

In 1067 Lari is mentioned in a judicial sentence given
at Pisa as a Corte and castle of Gottfredo, Marchese di
Toscana. It must then have become Pisan, as the
people of Lari took part in the rising against the Re-
public of Pisa in 11 64, who sent a small army to enforce
obedience. In 1230 the Upezzinghi retired there from
their possession of Mazzamgamboli, and it is believed
that they built the first castle on the summit of the hill,
afterwards considerably enlarged and strengthened. It
appears that they made over to the Archbishop of Pisa
all their rights over Lari, for in 1375 the inhabitants
deliberated that it was most inconvenient to hire a
house every six months for the Captain of the Colle
Pisane, or Pisan Hills, who came to distribute justice,
so they determined to buy a residence for that purpose.

Lari and its dependencies came into the possession
of the Republic of Florence in 1406, at the same time as
Pisa ; but for a long period the Grand Dukes of Tuscany
paid a small annual tribute to the Pisan Archbishop.
The governors of Lari after that time were called Vicario,
and the first Florentine who held the office was Angelo
di Giovanni da Uzzano.

On the south side of the castle a flight of ninety-five
steps leads up to the gateway of the courtyard ; half-way
is a large cistern, hollowed out of the rock, decorated

1S0 Italian Sketches.

with the Pitti and Delia Scala arms, made in 1448 for
the public benefit. The courtyard is very picturesque ;
an old well is at one end, and the walls of the houses
are covered with escutcheons and coats-of-arms of the
various Vicarii. Several famous Florentine names are
there, their arms done in Delia Robbia ware, and sur-
rounded by the well-known wreaths of fruit and flowers.
Rinuccini, Peruzzi, Capponi and Delia Stufa recalled the
supremacy of the old Republic ; and above all were the
balls of the Medici, ever-present on anything grand or
interesting in Tuscany.

It is recorded that, in 141 4, the Vicario Niccolo di
Roberto Davanzati, ancestor of Bernardi, whose transla-
tion of Tacitus is celebrated, reformed the communal
statutes. In 1523 Jacopo di Bongiann Gianfigliazzi was
the Vicario, and at a later date the following macaronic
lines were inscribed under his escutcheon : —

" Ero casa caduca, abbietta e vile,
Minacciavo rovina ad ogni vento,
In me non era loggia ne cortile,
Ma ogni cosa piena di spavento.
Or surgo come casa signorile,
Non fu dal ciel favor mai tardo o lento,
Per grazia d'esso nobil Gianfigliazzo,
Di vil tugurio divento palazzo."

(" I was a fallen house, abject and vile,
Threatening ruin with every wind ;
I possessed no colonade, nor courtyard,
And everything was full of horror.

The Baths of Casciana in July. 181

Now I rise like a noble house,

Ne'er did the favour of Heaven come too late.

By your grace, noble Gianfigliazzo,

From a vile hole I became a palace.")

The writer of this must have overlooked the distich
under the Delia Robbia arms of Bartolomeo Capponi,
who was Vicar io in 1525 : —

" Temporis et muri ssevas subitura ruinas
Transtulit intutum signa benignus amor.
Qui struxit fastu longe, remotis ab omni
Nomine Capponius Bartholomeus erat."

(" With great love he rendered safe these walls, which threatened
instant ruin. Bartholomew Capponi, for such was his name, was
the man who had this thought, without seeking for fame.")

In 1524 Alessandri di Pietro di Mariotto was Vicario,
and his arms are repeated on a most lovely altar-piece by
Luca Delia Robbia in the little chapel. It represents
the Virgin and Child and an angel, and is surrounded by
a splendid garland of flowers and fruit. The garrulous
old custode showed us the prisons — very ghastly places —
and opening a postern door, took us to an outside
walk all around the top of the castle walls. We then
saw that the houses in the courtyard were mere shells,
only containing one room in depth, and we looked down
the dizzy height into the tortuous streets below, and
beyond over the sunny plain at Pisa, whose leaning
tower could be distinctly seen.

Sun-dials are frequent on the farmhouses, and some

182 Italian Sketches.

had most poetical conceits written around or over them.
Profoundly sad is — Segno le ore si, ma non fiiu quelle (I
mark the hours, 'tis true, but no longer those gone by).
Per i felici ed i tristi, segno ugualmente le ore (For the
happy and the sad, I equally mark the hours), is also
pretty, but less original and terse.

Next day we drove through Soianella and Soiana up
to Morrona, a grey, old-world, weather-beaten place,
with no traces of its ancient splendour left. Under the
walls of Soiana Pier Capponi fell — the contemporary and
friend of Savonarola, and one of the most strenuous
defenders of Florentine liberties against the Medici. He
is famous for his answer to Charles VIII. of France, who
tried to conquer Florence, and to obtain from her large
sums of money when on his road to Naples in 1493.
To the threats of the King, Pier Capponi proudly
replied —

" Voi suonerete le vostre trombe, not suoneremo le nostre
campane " (You may sound your trumpets, we will sound
our bells).

The fortifications have long since vanished, but these
small villages are picturesque enough, the stairs being
outside the houses, and various small loggie and balco-
nies making deep patches of shade, where the inhabitants
sit at their work. The views were magnificent, particu-
larly from the high platform on which stands the small
church of Morrona, rising some five hundred feet

The Baths of Casciana in July. 183

above the plain, built where in ancient times stood the
castle.

Geologically, the whole country is extremely interest-
ing. Here and there blue-grey cliffs rise perpendicularly,
apropos to nothing at all, one hundred or more feet out
of the red earth, and the roads are in some places formed
of the remains of huge oyster shells and queer fossils.
The contadini are pleasant and civil in manner, delighted
to tell one the names of the various villages and towns,
and evidently unused to visitors. Our advent at Morrona
caused quite a commotion, and, as we stood near the
church, admiring the panoramic view, I had a circle of
small children sitting on their heels, staring open-mouthed,
while their mothers smiled and hoped I did not mind
such bad manners. JE un gran divertimento per loro (It
is a great amusement for them).

Some of the girls are strikingly beautiful — very dark,
with jet-black hair, fine eyes, and delicate features. The
men, too, are good looking, and have small and curiously
round heads. They have a frank, nice way about them,
and, though terribly poor, will show the very little there
is to see in their villages with a graceful kindliness of
manner quite deprecating the idea of being paid for their
trouble.

From Morrona we went on to Terricciola, a clean
townlet with houses which had once seen better days.
The church, a fine red-brick building, has been spoiled,

184 Italian Sketches.

and they were adding a chapel on to one side, thus
destroying the little that was left of the old building.
The piazza and the church occupy the site of the ancient
castle, which was taken and retaken several times during
the wars between Florence and Pisa. Over the door of
the sacristan's cottage was built into the wall the front
of rather a fine Etruscan cinerary urn, with a reclining
female figure above, and un Pagano con animali (a
Pagan with animals), as the old man carefully explained
it to be, underneath, which had been dug up there
long ago.

From Terricciola we descended a winding road into
the valley of the Cascina, and skirted the base of the
bare, water-washed hill on which stands the monastery
of Morrona, an enormous square edifice built around a
courtyard, with some fine trees near it. The olives
grow to a large size all over this part of Tuscany, the
tufa soil suiting them well. There is a tradition that an
underground passage connects the monastery with the
Villa of San Marco, the residence of the bishop of the dio-
cese. All the country around is tunnelled with caves, and
at Terricciola the farmers still keep their grain in the old
buche di grano, or corn cisterns, hollowed out of the rock.
The stone-cutters, whose name is legion, have a way of
breaking the stones into long slabs, used as supports to
the pergole of vines, which I never saw before. They
cut a slight channel in the stone and insert flakes of iron ;

The Baths of Casciana in July. 185

between these are placed wedges, and then the man
gives little taps with a hammer, very much as though he
were playing on a gigantic giglira, to the long row of
wedges. On a sudden the stone gives a hollow sigh and
starts asunder. Petrified shells and plants are of
frequent occurrence in the rock, and some are very fine.

Reaping is also different here from other parts of
Tuscany. The co?itadini cut off the ears of corn with a
sickle in small handfuls, leaving two or three feet of
straw standing, which is afterwards mown with scythes.
An old peasant, seeing me watch his operations, ceased
work for a moment, and, with a twinkle in his eye,
quoted, like a true Tuscan who knows and loves his old
proverbs : —

" La sa, Signora, ' Quando il grano £ ne' campi, E di
Dio e de' SantV" (You know, ma'am, "When the corn
is in the field, it belongs to God and the saints ").

The contadini work hard; in the fields at daylight —
they often do not return home till nine in the evening ;
and we met women and young girls staggering under
huge loads of green grass, cut on the hills and carried
down on their heads, after the day's work, to sell for
a few centimes in the village. This habit of carrying jars
of water, baskets of fruit, and bundles of fodder on the
head, gives the contadine an easy, graceful walk, recalling
the peculiar swing of the Arab women. The men just
now look very spruce and neat, as a new straw hat and,

186 Italian Sketches.

if possible, a new shirt, is " the thing " before reaping.
The women never wear hats; they tie a handkerchief
under the chin, and pull it over their eyes like a hood,
folding another several times thick on the top of their
heads, to keep off the sun.

To the east of Bagno di Casciana, on the Colle Mon-
tanine, rises a steep hill, called the "Rocca della Con-
tessa Mathilde," and of course said to have been one of
her castles. It is rather fatiguing to get at, as, after a
two miles' drive up hill, one has to walk another mile
and a half up a rough road to the foot of the " Rocca,"
which rises like half a huge apple out of the very top of
the line of hills. The view from the summit was magni-
ficent ; for forty miles and more one sees the country on
every side, and while we were standing entranced with
the landscape, an inky-black cloud suddenly swept up
from no one knew where, and blotted Volterra entirely
out of sight, while the thunder growled ominously, and
the wind rose. It was a most impressive sight, particu-
larly when suddenly the clouds rolled asunder a and
flash of lightning shot as straight as a plummer's line
down to the earth. We expected a drenching, but the
storm disappeared as quickly as it had risen, and after
inspecting the remains of two small round towers, a wall
about three feet high with traces of a curtain wall beyond,
and settling in our own minds that the great countess
certainly never lived in such an eagle's nest, we wended

The Baths of.Casciana in July. 187

our way down hill to the carriage. One does not see a
human creature all the way ; the only sign of civilization
was a pile of sacks filled with oak bark, awaiting the
donkeys who alone could face such a path. The butter-
flies are numerous and very beautiful. There was a large
orange fellow flitting about whose wings faded off to
lemon yellow; another, very big, was the colour of a
magpie's wing, blue-black shot with green ; and one was
very odd, as it seemed to fly the wrong way, having two
tails to the hind wings which looked like antennae. I
am afraid my description is most unscientific; all I
noticed was the great variety of butterflies and. moths,
and their colours, so gorgeous in the brilliant sunlight.

Bagni di Casciana can be reached also from Fauglia,
on the Maremma line, about the same distance as Pon-
tedera, but a more hilly drive. Fauglia is a bright, clean
place, with fine villas and country-houses in and near it.
A picturesque old church, on the outskirts of the town,
stands on the very end of a small hill ; its elegant cam-
panile, rather Lombard in style, is fast going to ruin,
having been struck by lightning and shaken by the earth-
quake of 1846. From Fauglia one descends through a
gorge clothed with stunted oak, chestnut, and nut copse ;
fern, tall Mediterranean heather, gum cistus and anisette
forming the undergrowth, with the familiar yellow broom
and gorse, into the valley of the Tora, a small, brawling
stream, crossed by a good bridge. From there begins a

188 Italian Sketches.

three-mile hill, up a capital road, across a queer, bare
country, with great fissures and rents in it, as though it
had been torn with a large rake. Much land has been
reclaimed and put under vine-cultivation. The waste
land is overgrown with lentisk and wild myrtle, which
scented the warm air and glittered in the bright sun.
Larks innumerable arose as we drove along, hovering
like large moths high in the air, and singing aloud. To
the right, lying on the slope of the hill, is the old castle
of Gello Mattacino, lately restored and inhabited. There
are records of a church there in the archives of Lucca as
early as 764, and the castle used to be called Gello delle
Colline, or, " of the hills," until a Florentine, Alessandro
di Matteocini, bought it, and gradually his name was
given to the castle and lands. A short dip brings us
near to Casciana, and then another hill, into the Par-
lascio road, whence we bowled merrily down to the
Baths.

Horses and carriages are good and wonderfully cheap.
We had a capital mare, an open pony chaise which would
have held four, and paid at the rate of fivepence a mile ;
the houses are fairly comfortable, and the chief adminis-
trator of the baths, Dr. Rimediotti, is most courteous
and kind. We found the mineral baths quite as effica-
cious as Aix-les-Bains, and witnessed some really mar-
vellous cures of rheumatism, gout, and paralysis. For the

The Baths of Casciana in July. 189

information of any medical reader I give an analysis of
the waters, made by a competent chemist : —

IN 300 LITRES.

Cubic

centimetres

Nitrogen

444,OIO

Carbonic acid

967,770

Saline Matters, etc

Grammes.

Sulphate of lime ...

523-I7

Carbonate of lime

100-35

Carbonate of magnesia

6-96

Carbonate of iron

I '02

Sulphate of magnesium

90*48

Sulphate of sodium

127*80

Chloride of sodium

7-8o

Chloride of magnesia ...

5*40

Ammonium

0-45

Silica

"•55

Alumina

2-46

Organic matter

0-63

Residuum of complex composition ...

878-07

Litres.

Pure water ...

299-12

Density ...

... 1,003*02

Traces of lithia.

The water is quite limpid, and has a peculiarly soft
feeling j the skin feels almost slimy after remaining some
time in the bath, and is stained slightly red, owing, I
suppose, to the iron.

The maximum temperature of the water is 35°*2o
(Centigrade) ; the minimum 33°'9o.

» ~ ' • > * .

LA GIOCONDA.

LA GIOCONDA.

(A True Story.)

The sun had just set behind the Apennines, leaving the
high lands bathed in a golden light, while the clouds
were deep blood-red and purple, and the plain was
already plunged in darkness.

In the bright Tuscan land, the transition from day to
night is far more rapid than in our northern clime ; the
mysterious charm of twilight lasts but a few moments.

The heat was oppressive, and a slight haze rose from
the valleys, where the small brooks, which in winter
become destructive torrents, trickled in slow, thin threads
of silver towards the Arno, bordered by the graceful
blue-green canes and by a row of tall poplars. The
terraced vineyards stretched far away in regular lines,
every plant bearing its wealth of golden or dark purple
fruit, drinking up the heat given out by the baked earth
— the very oaks seemed to be longing for a thunder-
storm to wash the dust off their leaves.

A good-looking, stalwart young peasant, with wavy

192

Italian Sketches.

chestnut hair, and a bright pleasant face, lit up by a
pair of blue eyes, came slowly through the wood, his
blue-and-white striped linen jacket thrown jauntily over
one shoulder, as is the custom among the Tuscan
peasantry. He was singing an old rispetto, which has
been handed down from father to son, and is said to
date from the seventeenth century : —

Andantino.

Qdte££^

*

- — 3-

O Ron-di - nel - la ,
O swal-low, swal - low,

die vai sul - lo
with the sea be

neath

re,

thee.

Ti ri -lu-ce lepen - nequan-do
H ow fair thy feathers shine, how free they

vo - le ;
ho-ver ;

Dam-mi una pen-na del - le tue bell' a - li,
Give me one feather from thy wings, I pri-thee,

Vo' scri-verun - a letter al mio a - mo
Fain would I write a let- ter to my lo

re.

ver.

1

%PP

S

E q'uan-do l'av-r6 scrit-ta e fat - ta bel - la,
And when I've written it and made it charm-ing,

Ti
I'll

La Gioconda.

193

ren - de - ro la pen-na o Ron-di - nel
give thee back thy fea-ther, swallow dar

$=£

m

%=$=%&?

3

¥

e fat - ta d'o - ro
and gilt it o - ver,

quan - dol'a - vro scritta
when I've writ-ten it

m

^gj^jJ^gP

Ti ren - de - ro la penna o mio te - so
I'll give thee back thy leather, sweet sea-ro -

ro.
ver.

ife

&

T=Z

-P-l-W-

m

■\ Tra la la la, tra la la la la

*r-H — as

i^^Ei^^^wg

5=

$

la, Tra la la la, tra la la la la
morendo

-P

lal

la,

la!

la!

; Amor che passi la notte cantando.
Ed io meschina sto nel letto e sento,
Volto le spalle alia mia mamma e piango ;
Di sangue son le lacrime che getto.
Di la del letto ho fatto un grosso flume,
Da tanto lagrimar non vedo lume.

194 Italian Sketches.

Di la dal letto un grosso fiume ho fatto,
Da tanto lagrimar son cieca affato."

(" 0 love, you pass, singing, while night is sleeping ;
I, wretched I, lie on my bed and listen ;
I to my mother turn my shoulders weeping ;
Blood are the tears that on my pillow glisten.
Beyond the bed I've set a broad stream flowing,
With so much weeping I am sightless growing ;
Beyond the bed I've made a flowing river ;
With so much weeping I am blind for ever.") *

Giulio was a peasant on the estate of a hard padrone,
or landowner, who held to all the privileges and power
still possessed by landowners in Tuscany. He had
fallen in love with the only daughter of a peasant living
some three miles away from the podere, or farm, where
his own family had been for many generations, and the
pretty, bright-eyed Gioconda fully returned his affection.

But the course of true love never runs smooth, and so
it happened that the owner of Castel Poggio, where
Gioconda's father, old Bettini, lived, objected to the
match. He insisted on her marrying some young fellow
who could leave his own family, and, as they say in
Tuscany, " enter the house " of his wife and become one
of her family. The Bettinis had lost their two sons in
the wars for the union of Italy, and a son-in-law who
could take the place of one of the dead lads was a sine
qua non. Nando Bettini was getting on in life, and his
padrone spoke seriously to him on the subject; either

* The English version is by Mr. J. Addington Symonds.

La Gioconda. 195

Gioconda must marry some one who would come and
live with them, or they must leave the podere.

" Your fields are badly tilled, the pruning of the vines
is always behindhand, and you are running into debt
with me for corn. You spend your own small savings
in paying hired labourers who scamp their work, and it
cannot go on. Gioconda must marry and bring a
husband into the house to help you. I will give you
six months, for your family has been on the land for two
hundred years, and I don't want to be hard on you.
But I must pay my taxes, and if my land is not properly
cultivated I cannot. This cursed Government does
nothing but raise the taxes ; soon we landowners shall
be beggars."

" But, Illustrissimo "

" No, Nando, I can listen to no objections. You are
going to tell me again about Giulio. It is of no use. I
cannot force Count Selvi to let Giulio leave his own
family ; besides, you know the old feud existing between
our families. We are not on speaking terms. You
must find another husband for Gioconda. In my time,
girls never fell in love. Nonsense ! you tell her to be a
dutiful daughter, and marry some young fellow who can
help you, and has an eye for oxen."

Poor old Nando went home with a heavy heart. He
was devoted to his daughter, whose name, Gioconda,
suited her well — small, but well-made, with an oval face,

196 Italian Sketches.

and masses of dark-brown hair with golden light in it,
very large dark-brown eyes, and a clear, dark com-
plexion. She was one of the beauties of the neighbour-
hood. Gioconda's merry ringing laugh was the delight
of old Nando's life. She knew more stornelli and
rispetti and old proverbs than any other girl in the
country round, and she never sang so well as when
Giulio chimed in a second to her bird-like clear soprano
with his rather harsh baritone.

Poor Giulio ! He had been up to Castel Poggio to
help old Bettini to yoke a young ox, it being a holiday,
so that he was not wanted at home.

As the old man breasted the steep bit of road leading
up to his farmhouse, which was perched on the crest of
a hill, and still bore traces of having been fortified, he
heard the two young people singing together as they cut
the grass for the oxen on the slopes which kept up the
narrow strips of land where the olives grew so well. It
was a song Gioconda had learnt from her brothers before
they left for the campaign whence they had never
returned, and poor old Bettini's eyes filled with tears as
he thought of his two bright boys who had quitted their
home so full of hope, telling their mother that Austrian
bullets would assuredly never harm them, as the good
old priest, Don RafTaello, had told them to pray to Our
Lady of Succour, and had given to each her picture,
sewn up in a little bag of old red damask, to hang round
their necks.

La Gioconda,

197

And now they were gone, and he was obliged to
separate these two young people who were so happy,
singing under the old grey olives. It was a merry lay
and jarred painfully with the old man's sad thoughts.

Allegretto.

3m

* 1 1 f C

£=*:

*-k

Be-ne - det - to chi ti fe, Fin da

Bless-ed she who made you learn How to

M=£

¥

-m

pic - co-la im - pa - rar Del- la se - ta il bel mes ■
spin the silk - en thread, Where your pret - ty fin-gers

tier,
turn,

My»

zb=3:

E^

Che fa pro - prio in - amo - rar.
Out and in with white and red.

Fior di
Flow'r of

£

w

mag - gio lo mio
May and just one

year,

Che ando a far il mi - li -
Fjeefrom barracks, back from

£=^

5=5=52

£=£=£
-^ * *-

* —

tar,
town,

Quan-do tor
You and I

na sul o - nor, m'ha pro
to - ge - ther, dear, Courting

5=*

z?-^—*

m

mes - so di
when the sun

spo - sar. .
goes down.

198 Italian Sketches.

" Si, Carluccio, il mio tesor,
Mi dicea che vuol amar,
Una giovine d'onor
Che la seta sappia far.
Giunga il giorno e presto fuor
Mi vedranno a passegiar,
Abbracetto col mio amor
Che ha deciso di sposar."

(" Blessed she, and blessed hour,
Where I learnt the silken trade.
White and red, for wedding dower,
Coin by coin, like braid with braid.
Flow'r of May, and just one year,
When the lads are back with spring,
You and I together, dear,
When the nightingales shall sing.") *

Bettini called Giulio, who came bounding down the
hill to meet him ; but all his gaiety vanished when he saw
how grave and sad the old man looked.

1 'Why, Padre Nando, what is the matter?"
" A great deal, my son, a great deal. Things are all
going wrong. The padrone has just declared that if
Gioconda is not married in six months to some young
man who can come and live with us, to help me, he will
turn us off. I can't bear to think of my poor Elena
having to beg her bread in her old age. It is now some
thirty years that she has lived at Castel Poggio, and the
children were all born there. So, Giulio, you must not
come near us any more, and Gioconda must be a dutiful
child and forget you."

* The English version is by Mr. Theo. Marzials.

La Gioconda. 199

Bettini tried to speak severely and with the authority-
becoming his years and his position as head of the
family. But he failed signally. Knowing the deep
attachment between Giulio and Gioconda, it wrung his
heart to be obliged to separate them. Count Selvi, who
owned the podere on which the family of Giulio lived, had
the reputation of being a hard, cruel man, who had driven
his wife mad by his ill-treatment. His children lived in
terror of him, in the old villa on the hill.

They both felt that it would be useless to beg him
to break through his rule of never allowing a peasant to
leave the parental roof, unless there were too many men
in the family for the land to support.

Giulio looked utterly miserable, but said, "You are
right, Padre Nando, you must think first of the mother ;
but, oh ! my poor little Gioconda ! "

His voice failed him, and holding out his brown hand
to the old man, who grasped it tight, he turned on his
heel and slowly went down the hillside through the oak
copse.

Gioconda had watched the scene from above, and
came to meet her father, with her sickle in one hand,
while with the other she caressed her special pet, the big
white Maremma sheep-dog, Caro, who looked up into her
face as though he understood all the thoughts that were
passing through her mind.

How pretty she looked in her striped blue-and-red

Italian Sketches.

cotton dress, a red handkerchief pinned coquettishly
across her breast and one corner of her checked apron
tucked into her girdle. The evening sun lit up her hair
and seemed to kiss her smooth brown cheek. Old
Nando could not help admiring his child.

" Padre, what have you said to Giulio that he should
go away like that, without even saying addio ; and who
is to help me to carry up all this grass to the house ? "

She tried hard to keep her voice steady as she spoke,
and to prevent the tears from coming into her eyes.

"I will tell you afterwards, my child. I must see
your mother first. Here, give me the big bundle, you
can take the small one."

Father and daughter toiled slowly up the hill with
their loads of fresh-cut grass, and old Nando went into
the stable to feed the oxen and shake down their litter
for the night.

Gioconda meanwhile went upstairs to her mother, and
said that her father had returned looking very sad, but
refused to tell her what was the matter. " Only," added
Gioconda, blushing, "I am sure it is something about
Giulio."

The two old people sat up later than usual that night,
and talked over the events of the day after their daughter
had gone to bed.

Elena said bitterly, and with a sigh, " The poor should
not have hearts. Gioconda is a good girl, and will do her

La Gioconda.

duty ; but it is a hard thing to ask a girl to give up her
love."

When Giulio got home, he found his family in despair.
A new levy had been called out, and it included his
youngest brother, the Benjamin of his parents. His
mother was in tears, as the recruits were to go to the
Neapolitan provinces.

" Nothing - but brigands ; no decent bread, and wine
that you might cut with a knife," wailed she. " It is far
worse than marching against the Austrians. Those poor
Bettinis lost both their sons ; but at least they fought
strangers and usurpers. But now ! To send soldiers to
do policemen's work ! They will all die ! I shall never
see Settimio again ! Madonna mia ! it will kill me."

Giulio rapidly made up his mind, and, calling his father
out of the house, begged his permission to propose him-
self in the place of his youngest brother.

" The authorities will be sure to accept the exchange,
as I am taller and far stronger than Settimio, and my
mother will be less worried about me than she would
about my brother. I cannot stay here, so near Castel
Poggio, and know that my poor Gioconda will be obliged
to marry some one else ; when I am gone, she may forget
me. Will you go and see Count Selvi, and make it all
right with him and the bailiff? "

In vain did his father remonstrate, Giulio bore down
all opposition. His determination was announced to the

Italian Sketches.

family, and the old man went to the villa on the hill and
begged an interview.

He was ushered into the large, gloomy room where
Count Selvi usually sat. The vaulted roof still bore traces
of fresco and the doors and shutters of gilding ; some
fine old prints hung all awry in black and gold frames on
the walls, and a portrait of the dead countess hung
above the writing-desk. There was no scrap of carpet
on the brick floor, and the high-backed, old-fashioned
chairs stood in a row against the wall, rigid, stiff, and
hard.

"What do you want?" said the count, in a harsh
voice, which made the old peasant wish himself at
home again.

"Signor Conte, my Giulio has begged me to come
and ask your excellency's permission to go as a substitute
for his brother Settimio, who has drawn a bad number.
My Giulio "

" What ! tired of being an honest peasant, and wants to
see the world ! This comes of all the new-fangled ideas
and teaching people to read and write who ought to dig.
What has he to complain of?"

"Nothing, Illustrissimo, only " The old man

stopped short, and twirled his hat round and round. He
did not know how to explain to the stern padrone about
Gioconda, as he knew of the old feud between the Selvi
and the Nicolini.

La Gioconda. 203

" Well, go on, I can't sit here all day," growled the
count.

"The truth is, signor Conte, my Giulio is in love,
and, as he has no hope of marrying the girl, he would
rather go as a soldier."

"A pretty reason, truly!" sneered the count. " I
never fell in love. The sooner he falls out of it again the
better. He has enough to do to look after the cattle.
I am not satisfied with your balance this year. Who is
the girl ? "

" The daughter of old Bettini, up at Castel Poggio,"
answered the peasant timidly.

Count Selvi brought his clenched hand down on the
table so hard that the room re-echoed to the blow.

" What ! you permitted your son to have intercourse
with peasants of the Nicolini ! Bravo ! I shall tell the
bailiff to make up your account, and you can look out for
another farm. Let your Giulio turn soldier or thief, it
is all the one to me ; only never let me see him or any of
you again. Go ! "

Old Martelli did not dare utter a word. With an
awkward bow, he left the room, and, seeking the bailiff,
who was a kind and honest man, as popular as his
master was reverse, he begged him to try and intercede
for them.

" We have belonged to the Selvi family for such long,
long years," said the old man, using the familiar, patri-

204 Italian Sketches.

archal Tuscan way of speaking, "and you know how
fond the poor Contessa was of my wife, when she came
as a sweet young bride to this gloomy old villa, looking
like arose."

" No, no, Angelo, that would never do," answered the
bailiff; "no one dares mention her name here. It is a
bad business altogether, and if it were not for my young
masters and the signorina — so like her mother, poor
thing — I should leave to-morrow. This house is a hell
upon earth. I will see what I can do some day, when-
ever the count is in a better humour."

Angelo Martelli went home, and could eat no supper.
He said he felt as though he had seen the devil in person,
and could not get the harsh voice of his padrone out of
his ears.

"I told you how it would end, Giulio, when you first
went to see Gioconda. We are in a pretty mess.
Suppose we are all turned out, and that I can find no
vacant farm. To become a day-labourer at my time of
life is a poor look-out. However, the Madonna has
always been kind, and she will provide for us," said the
old man reverently.

The next week, Giulio duly presented himself to the
syndic of his commune, and was accepted as substitute
for his younger brother. In another ten days he would
join the depot of his regiment, pass the medical examina-
tion, and be drafted off to Sicily.

La Gioconda. 205

Gioconda was in a fever of expectation. She noticed
how sad her parents looked, and that her mother often
quoted old sayings about the short duration of first love
and the duty of obedience ; but, as she rarely saw any
neighbours, and only went to Mass with her mother on
Sunday mornings, when Elena did not encourage idle
conversation, she had not heard any rumour of Giulio's
intentions. At last, to her infinite relief, he came up to
Castel Poggio, and she received him pouting and trying
to look offended ; but, at the sight of his grave face and
altered manner, more like a father than a lover, all her
little affectations vanished, and she sidled up to him,
saying in a coaxing tone —

" Giulio mio, what have I done to offend you ? Ask
mother, she will tell you how good I have been, and
how I have longed to see you j but Caro knows more of
that, I tell him everything. Here, Caro, come here, old
man, and salute Giulio, and wag your tail properly."

But Giulio paid no attention to the dog's blandish-
ments, who slunk away disappointed, and sat down
with an air of " well, what is going to happen next ? "

" What is the matter with you, Giulio, and what have
I done?" reiterated Gioconda, with trembling voice.

"Nothing, my child," he answered sadly, " only I am
afraid you will think me cruel ; but it must be. You
know how fond my mother is of Settimio ? Well, he has
drawn a bad number for this new levy, and I "

206 Italian Sketches.

" You are not going too ? Oh, Giulio ! you cannot
leave me ? You are only joking, only trying to frighten
me into telling ypu what you know so well already ; that
I love you — oh ! so much."

The poor girl broke down, and, hiding her face, burst
into tears. Caro could not resist this, and, looking
defiantly at Giulio, he sidled up to his young mistress,
poking his nose under her arm, and whining to attract
her attention.

" Gioconda, listen to me. Ask your parents whether
they do not approve. I have taken Settimio's place. You
must try and forget me. God knows it is a hard trial for
us ; but we cannot bring ruin on both our families. You
know what Count Selvi is, and your father will be sent
away by his padrone if you do not marry. Ah ! Gioconda,
my darling, my darling, to think that I should have to
say such words to you — to tell you to marry and forget
me."

" They said you never loved me, and now I see it ! I
don't care for you one bit ! Oh, Caro, Caro, why did
you ever let him come to Castel Poggio ? " sobbed
Gioconda, sinking down on the grass, and throwing her
arms round the shaggy neck of the big dog, who
looked puzzled and very much inclined to fly at his old
friend.

" Gioconda, my child, I swear I love you more than
life; but duty goes before everything, and I promised

La Gioconda. 207

your father not to come here any more. That would be
impossible if I remained near you. So I go."

Poor Giulio's firmness nearly forsook him, and his
voice sounded strange and hollow. His blue eyes were
sunken and his mouth quivered as he looked with
infinite love on the girl crouching at his feet.

She rose at last, very pale and quiet, and, laying her
hand on his arm, said, "Forgive me, Giulio, you are
right ; but as to marrying — well, we will see about that.
I could never have left you, but then a man is so different.
It is always duty — duty — " she repeated in a faint
voice, as she gazed down into the plain below them with
that fixed far-away stare which sees nothing.

" I must say a few words to your mother, Gioconda,"
said Giulio, at last breaking the silence ; " in a day or two
I shall be going to Florence."

The two young people entered the courtyard of the
old house, Caro in close attendance on his young
mistress, and casting suspicious glances at Giulio.

Elena was busy in the big kitchen, and looked up
surprised at seeing them together, as her husband had
told her that Giulio would not come to Castel Poggio
any more. He saw her look, and hastened to say in as
firm a voice as he could command —

" Madre Elena, I have come to say good-bye for a
time. I go in Settimio's stead as a soldier ; he drew a
low number."

208 Italian Sketches.

" Dear, dear. Well, I hope it will be for the best, my
son. I don't like soldiering. I hope there are no
Austrians where you are going?" she said sadly, thinking
of her own boys.

" Oh no j I shall be sent to Sicily, I believe."

" What, where the brigands live, my dear boy ? Why,
that is worse," exclaimed she.

Gioconda shuddered as she heard the word Sicily,
and turned away to hide her tears.

Elena knew well enough why Giulio was going away ;
she came up to him, and drew his head down with both
her hands, and kissed his forehead as she said —

" The Madonna preserve thee, my boy. An old
woman's blessing is not worth much, but I give thee
mine. It is partly my fault that it has come to this, and
I wish I could bear the penalty."

Her wrinkled face looked almost sublime as she
gazed sorrowfully on the young people, and her eyes
filled with tears.

" You have told her, I see ; it is a hard task for you."

Giulio nodded his head ; he could not trust himself
to speak. After a pause, he said in a low tone —

" May she be happy, and find a good husband. Now
I must go, or I shall cry like a baby."

He wrung old Elena's hand, and went towards Gio-
conda. Taking both her hands, he said —

" My treasure, good-bye. At first you will be full of

La Gioconda.

209

sorrow, but the Madonna will help you to do your duty
to your parents. When I return I shall find I have
gained a sister."

His voice failed him, and he hurried out of the house
and down the hill, while the poor girl sobbed on her
mother's shoulder.

Two months passed without any tidings of Giulio
after his first letter to his father from Palermo, and
Gioconda grew thinner and paler, though she worked as
hard as ever. Her singing days were over now, and old
Bettini sighed as he saw her white face and the dark
circles round her eyes. Several suitors were proposed,
and came to try whether pretty Gioconda would listen
to them; but, though civil to all, she seemed not to
understand the flowery speeches addressed to her, and
when her mother praised any young peasant who had
been to the house, she looked so utterly wretched that
Elena could not pluck up courage to go on.

Signor Nicolini sent for Nando Bettini and inquired
when Gioconda was to be married, as he would, accord-
ing to custom, send up the bricklayer to whitewash the
house. The old man confessed that he had not yet
spoken to his daughter.

" She looks more like dying, Illustrissimo, than marry-
ing. The light has gone from my house. It breaks my
heart to see her."

" Well, well, she'll get over it. As I said before, I

p

210 Italian Sketches.

don't want to be hard on you, and we won't mention
the subject till next summer. But I must say love-sick
girls are very inconvenient. This is October, so you
will have plenty of time to talk reason to pretty little
Gioconda."

The padrone turned away, well satisfied with his own
kindness, and persuaded that human hearts can be con-
trolled, as vines can be trimmed and trained.

The winter was an unusually severe one, and poor
Bettini had the misfortune to lose one of his pair of oxen ;
it slipped on the road, after a thaw, and broke its thigh.
The butcher bought it at a diminished price, and the
loss was considerable.

At last the old man summoned up courage to tell
Gioconda that the future of her mother and himself lay
with her ; either she must marry before the end of June
or they must leave Castel Poggio, and he would have to
descend to the condition of a day-labourer, as no one
would give &podere to an old man without a son.

" Find me a husband," answered she, in a toneless
voice ; " I will do my duty. Only, padre mio, do not let
him come here to court me."

She kissed her father, and went out to tell Caro, who
was her chief comforter and seemed to understand all she
told him. The name of Giulio was never mentioned in
the house, but Caro knew it well ; he often heard it, and
always wagged his tail when it was whispered in his ear.

La Gioconda. 211

About Christmas time, news came from Sicily, and old
Bettini heard that Giulio had distinguished himself, was
a great favourite with his officers, and had been taken by
the colonel as his servant. He consulted with his wife
about telling Gioconda, and she advised him not to
mention it. She was becoming very anxious about her
daughter, who looked ill, and they owed so large a sum
to their landlord, that they stinted themselves, and rarely
ate meat save on feast days, while they only drank
water, having given up all their share of wine to Signor
Nicolini in diminution of their debt for corn.

Things meanwhile were going from bad to worse at
Villa Selvi. The count's temper was uncontrollable, and
be gave way to such fits of passion that no servant
would stay long in the house. The bailiff, who had been
a peasant on the estate of the father of the late countess,
and who had promised her, before she went hopelessly
mad, to protect her three children, was almost at his
wits' end, and foresaw that he would have to leave or be
sent away. " One day he was summoned into the count's
study, who received him with a volley of abuse. His
second son, Lippo, had been seen in the wood which
divided the Selvi from the Nicolini property, and pretty
Rosina Nicolini was there also. In vain did the bailiff
try to calm the storm j he made it worse, and at length
he gave warning, and, throwing aside the restraint he had
always imposed on himself, plainly told the count that he

Italian Sketches.

was a brute, and left the room. In the garden, he met
his young mistress and told her what had happened.
The poor girl entreated him to try and make it up with
her father; he was her only friend, and she dreaded
being left alone.

Dinner-time arrived, and Count Selvi did not appear.
The brothers and sister consulted together about remind-
ing him of the hour, but for some time none dared to go
to his den. At last, Maso, the eldest son, went to the
door, and knocked timidly — no answer; he knocked
again, and then, thinking that his father must be out,
opened the door and uttered an exclamation of horror.
His father was lying on the floor by his desk, one hand
clenched tight on a bundle of papers, with such an
expression of fury on his face as made the poor lad's
blood run cold.

He convinced himself that the count was dead, and
then called his brother and the bailiff and went to
break the news to his young sister. The harshness
and severity with which they had been treated vanished
from their minds in the presence of such a cata-
strophe j but, in general, the count was regretted by no
one, and it was whispered among the old peasant women
that they had always expected him to die in some
terrible way without the last rites of the Church, so
that he would not go to Paradise to frighten the poor
countess again in the next world.

La Gioconda. 213

Signor Nicolini heard of Count Selvi's death, and his
pretty daughter Rosina, with the imperiousness generally-
belonging to an only child, insisted on his going to
the villa and offering his help to the orphans. She said
family feuds were all nonsense, and that neighbours
ought to be friendly and help each other, and charged
her father to invite the young Contessina Beatrice to
come and stay with her until the funeral was over.
Lippo was delighted to see the father of Rosina, and
both young men eagerly accepted the invitation for their
sister — a delicate, nervous girl of sixteen — thanking Signor
Nicolini heartily for his well-timed visit and sympathy.

The death of Count Selvi caused a feeling of relief
among his peasantry, and particularly in Giulio's family.
Old Angelo wrote — or rather made one of his sons write,
as he could not — to inform Giulio of what had happened,
but the letter crossed him on the road. He had been
wounded in a skirmish with the brigands, and had
several severe attacks of malarious fever, so his colonel
gave him three months' leave to recruit his strength.
Great was the joy at home when Giulio arrived, rather
wan and pale, but much improved in smartness, and
holding himself so straight that his mother was never
tired of admiring him. As soon as he heard of the
death of the count he went to see his young padroni
and beg their permission to marry Gioconda and leave
his own family to enter the Bettinis' house, as soon as
his military service was over.

214 Italian Sketches.

" If you, Count Lippo," said Giulio smiling, " will
only ask the Signorina Rosina, she will persuade her
father to let Gioconda wait another eighteen months
for me."

Lippo blushed scarlet, as he had no idea that his
love for Signor Nicolini's pretty daughter was known.
Both the young men promised to do their best, and
they recommended Giulio to go up to Castel Poggio,
as they had heard from the bailiff that Gioconda was
not well, and Lippo thought that the sight of Giulio
would do her more good than doctor's stuff.

The young contadino went slowly through the familiar
oak copse, thinking of the difference the death of one
cross-grained old man made in the lives of so many
people.

There were no leaves on the trees, and he could
plainly see the old half-fortified farmhouse above him.
As he approached, he began singing a song which had
been a favourite of Gioconda's before he left.

Andantino.

^=^3*^^^-^\-^=*=&=m

H^^

tr-^^r.

Einvernoenot-te bru-na, Men-tre nell 'er - ma

Cold in the bleak De- cem- ber, Lone in the chamber

INSfegs^^

I

stan - za, Fos - ca lu - cea la lu - na,

drea - ry, Gil - dor is gaz - ing wea - ry,

La Gioconda.

215

i^^§^^^a=^

Un pal - li - do chia-ror
In - to the deep' - ning night,

Can - to questa ro
Longing, and sad, and

< 1 LPiZ==HL 1 ^-tV^*

S

man - za, II re -du - ce, Gil - dor.

weep - ing, There in the murk moon - light.

"Tu mi dicesti un giorno
Con lacrime dirotte,
Quando farai ritorno
Chiamami, o mio tesor,
Chiamami a mezzanotte,
Ti volero sul cor.

" Vieni diletta mia
La mezzanotta appressa,
Io gelo sulla via
E tu non vieni ancor.
Ti sei di me scordata
Idolo del mio cor."

(" Darling, have you forgotten,
Darling, when last we parted,
Weeping and broken-hearted,
All that you vowed to me ?
1 Call me,' you said, ' but call me,
Love, I shall come to thee.'

" Come, then, oh ! come, my darling,
Come, for my tears are falling.
Come, my whole soul is calling,
Darling, come back, my own.
No— you have quite forgotten
I am alone — alone.") *

Translated by Mr. Theo. Marzials.

2i6 Italian Sketches.

Gioconda was preparing a warm meal for her father
on his return from digging in the fields, and could not
believe her ears when she heard the well-known voice.

" Madonna ! — He is dead ! " she exclaimed, turning
white and faint.

In another moment, Giulio, forgetting wound and
fever, sprang up the steps, and, clasping her to his breast,
he kissed her wavy hair, murmuring, " My treasure, my
darling ! I have suffered so much for you, and now I
have you and mean to keep you."

Gioconda was too happy to speak. How she had
longed to see Giulio again ! What impossible plans
she had made in the long nights, when she could not
sleep, for softening Count Selvi's heart and obtaining
Signor Nicolini's permission to wait for her lover. Now
all had come right, and she gave a deep sigh of intense
relief as she leant her head on Giulio's shoulder.

He held her at arm's-length, and then saw that his
young padrone had spoken the truth.

Gioconda was indeed changed, and a pang went
through Giulio's heart at the thought that he might yet
lose her. Her brown eyes were preternaturally large,
and she looked pale and wan.

"Why, dearest, you look half-starved," said he
anxiously, but trying to smile gaily.

" So I am," answered she, blushing scarlet, " of your
company and of the old songs; but what does this

La Gioconda. 217

mean? I don't understand how you are here, my
Giulio."

" Well, I was wounded, and then I got fever, and so
my colonel sent me home, where I heard of Count
Selvi's death; and so I went to my young padroni,
and you know Conte Lippo is in . love with your young
padrona, and she will beg for us, and so, and so "

" And so, you good-for-nothing, this is the manner in
which you keep away from Castel Poggio," rang out old
Bettini's voice, more cheerfully than it had done for
many a long month. "Well, my son," he continued,
" I am right glad to see you again, and so will Elena be.
As to Gioconda, I suppose she has told you already how
grieved she is at the sight of your face. You must come
and put some colour into her cheeks, my boy, and help
me get the land a little into order. I am sadly behind-
hand with the pruning this year, and we owe the padrone
such a large sum that we have been on short commons
lately."

" Ah ! well, Padre Nando, all will come right now ;
and, as they don't want me at home, I shall come as
your garzone (hired labourer), if you will have me,
and we'll soon get things into proper order."

Elena now came in, and her joy was quite childish.
Giulio had always been her especial favourite, and she
had prayed hard to her patron saint that she should
manage that he and Gioconda might be married some
day.

218 Italian Sketches.

With the instinctive good-breeding which is so strong
in the Tuscan peasantry, Giulio now took his leave.
He had a shrewd suspicion that the evening meal was
barely sufficient for themselves, and so, with the excuse
of being afraid of the evening air for his fever, he said
good-bye till the morrow.

His three months' leave passed like a dream; but
before he left to rejoin his regiment the marriages of
Count Lippo Selvi to Rosina Nicolini and of Giulio
to Gioconda were settled. Rosina coaxed her father
into making Gioconda a present of their debt for corn,
and Giulio had worked to such purpose that the crops
promised well and the olive-trees showed abundant
flower-buds.

The roses had returned to Gioconda's cheeks, and
stornelli and rispetti echoed gaily again round the old
farmhouse.

Even Caro looked younger and gayer than before.
The year and three months of Giulio's service with his
regiment passed quickly enough to Gioconda, who
worked hard to increase her dowry, and on a fine June
morning the good old priest, Don RarTaello, married them
in the little parish church.

Gioconda is now a blooming matron, with a small
Nando at her knee, who rules his old grandfather with
a rod of iron and is rapidly learning old-world sayings
from his grandmother and little songs from his pretty
mother.

ii in^\i;'i,iy

TARENTUM.

" L'antica storia cui non e conta
Del gran Taranto ? " . . .

Delizie Tarantine, Carducci.

The modern town of Taranto occupies the site of the
Acropolis of the famous and splendid Tarentum, already
a place of some importance when the Spartan Parthenii
arrived there 707 years b.c. Of the queen of the Ionian
sea, once so rich that the value and magnificence of the
spoils taken by Fabius Maximus astonished the Roman
citizens, little now remains but the name and immense
mounds of rubbish, which are at length being scien-
tifically examined by Professor Viola, on behalf of the
Italian Government.

Taranto lies like a ship on the water, an island town.
The streets are narrow and tortuous, and the houses
high ; some of the palaces in the upper town are hand-
some in a baroque, rococo style, and being all built of
white stone, recall Malta. A feature peculiar to Taranto
is the elaborate carving of the lunettes above the door-
ways, all made of wood, and most fantastic in design ; a
baboon's head is a favourite centrepiece. There are a

220 Italian Sketches.

few fine gargoyles, and here and there an old balcony
suggests serenades, and flowers fluttering down, and
poignards gleaming.

The most important ruin of ancient Tarentum is a
fine column of a Doric temple, and a fragment of its
companion, encased in the wall of a little courtyard in
the Oratory of the Congregation of the Trinity in the
Strada Maggiore. Professor Viola tells me that the
measurements exactly correspond with those of the
columns of the temple of Diana at Syracuse. The height
of the Column is twenty-seven feet eight inches, of which
nine feet ten inches are buried underground. The
abacus measures one foot ten inches in height, and ten
feet seven inches in width. It probably belonged to the
temple of Poseidon, the titular deity of Tarentum, and
was evidently one of the most important buildings of the
Acropolis. The size of this column may be imagined by
two people having lived on the top of the capital in a
small house, which was only demolished a few years ago,
and replaced by a pergola overgrown with vines, and
with seats underneath for enjoying the bel fresco.

San Domenico, with a fine Norman doorway, stands
high above the steep street of the same name, on the top
of a treble flight of steps, flanked by two quaint old
saints. Unfortunately the Tarentines have the Eastern
passion for whitewash, and have whitened the doorway
and the rose window above. The ceiling is all painted,

Tarentum.

and the pilasters of the church bear the cross of the
Knights of Malta. The seats of the choir are of fine
intarsia work, and in the centre is the following modest
inscription : —

" Qualunque sia dell' opra il lavorio,
II difetto e dell' uom, il buon di Dio.

" Raphael Monteanni,
"Terrae Lequilarum, F. H. a.d. mcclxxxvii." *

Just as we were coming out of San Domenico the

impressive strains of a funeral march rose from the street

below, and we waited on the top of the steps for the

procession to pass. All the confraternities were there in

their quaint mediaeval dresses, as it was the burial of a

person of some consequence. First came the Addo-

loratt, who wore long white cotton robes with a hood

tight over the face, and holes cut for the eyes ; they

looked most ghostly figures, quite unfit to be abroad

in the bright sunlight. Then followed the Carmeliti,

with cream-coloured mohair capes, and large, black,

broad-brimmed hats, trimmed with blue silk ribbon.

After them came the San Gaetani, in blue silk capes

and white hoods covering the face; and then the

bearded Capucine monks, and the Pasquilini monks

who are clean shaven. The regular clergy and the

canons of the cathedral, in capes of ermine and purple

* ' ' Whatever is the fatigue of this work,

The faults are due to the man, the good is of God."

222 Italian Sketches.

silk, preceded the coffin, borne on the shoulders of mem-
bers of the different confraternities.

I was lucky enough to be in Tarento during Holy
Week, and thus saw the procession on Good Friday,
which is very curious, and a source of great pride to the
Tarentines. The crowd were most orderly and good-
tempered, and anxious to explain everything to a
foreigner. A pleasant young sailor lad told me that he
had heard that at Rome, where the Pope was, they once
had processions, but never one to be compared to this.

The sight was most picturesque as the procession
wound round down the hill from the Borgo Nuovo, as
the new part of Tarento is called — a motley, many-
coloured crowd, the brilliant yellow, red, and salmon-
coloured handkerchiefs the women wear tied over their
heads and under their chins, and the heavy gold chains
and neck ornaments they delight in, glistening in the
fitful sun; the life-size painted figures swaying high
above the crowd, and ever and anon stopping as the
bearers rested.

The municipal band, playing a solemn funeral march,
headed the procession, followed by a large black flag ;
then came two of the confraternity of the Carmeliti.
They were bare-foot, and bore long white staves in their
hands, representing the apostles. Then, borne high on
the shoulders of four brothers of the confraternity of the
Addolorati, in white cotton flowing robes and bare legs

TARENTUM. 223

and feet, was a platform with the instruments of the
Passion. The next Mistero, as they call the painted
images, was a life-size statue, either of wood or papier-
mache, of Christ kneeling, His hands extended, and His
face turned towards heaven; a small, winged angel, by
some arrangement of wires, hovered over Him, bearing a
gold cup in one hand. Two of the representatives of
the apostles walked between this figure and the next,
which was a most ghastly representation of Christ being
scourged — an emaciated figure tied to a pillar, with the
flesh all livid, lacerated, and bloody. The bearers of
this figure, and of all the following ones, had crowns of
thorns on their heads, as had also the four attendants,
who, dressed in their holiday best, carried strong staves
with an iron crescent at the top to rest the poles of the
platform upon, which was a considerable weight, and
hurt the bearers' shoulders, for they borrowed handker-
chiefs from friends in the crowd to bind round the poles
as they staggered along with difficulty.

Christ in a long crimson robe, with His hands tied and
crowned with thorns, was the next figure, attended as
usual by two bare-footed apostles. After this came the
crucifix, so heavy that ten bearers had evident difficulty
in carrying it. All round the base of the cross were
stuck petroleum lamps, to be lit at sundown, and which
were strangely incongruous in such an old-world scene.

An immense black cross, with yards upon yards of

224 Italian Sketches.

white drapery most artistically arranged upon the arms,
was the next Mistero ; and now the crowd, which had
been rather apathetic, showed signs of interest and some
slight emotion. All the men bared their heads as a huge
bier, borne by some twenty men, came slowly along. It
was covered with a black velvet pall, and on this was
laid the body of our Lord, covered with a fine muslin
veil, all embroidered with large golden rosettes, rather
the shape of sunflowers. Four apostles attended at the
corners of the bier, and on either side walked two
Tarentine nobles, in full evening dress and bare-headed.
They are called the Cavalieri di Cristo, and were as
much out of keeping as the petroleum lamps. A crowd
of priests of different grades followed behind, and the
procession wound up with a figure of the Virgin Mary
in a black silk dress, holding a heart pierced with an
arrow in her right hand, and an elaborately embroidered
handkerchief trimmed with lace in the other. She was
attended by the two last apostles.

My pleasant young Tarentine sailor told me that the
privilege of carrying the Misteri, and having bruised
shoulders for many a long day afterwards, was put up
to auction, the average price being fifty francs, which
went towards the expenses. Another curious custom
is that one church steals from another the honour of
starting and arranging the procession. Each church
has its own confraternity, out of whose number the

TARENTUM. 225

twelve apostles are chosen. They must never leave
their places near the Misteri in a procession, and are
jealously watched by all the less fortunate confraternities.
Some six years ago there was a most violent storm, and
two of the unhappy bare-legged and bare-footed apostles
took refuge for a moment in a cafe. The Carmeliti
instantly rushed into their places, and have held the
privilege for their church in the Borgo Nuovo ever
since.

It is obligatory for the procession to visit the little
church attached to the convent Delle Pentite, where
the figure of the Madonna Addolorata is placed on a
table near her altar, and all the other Misteri defile
before her, making the round of the church one by one.
Unfortunately the rain had begun to fall fast, and the
thunder growled ominously before the procession could
reach the Pentite, and it crowded pell-mell into
another church. We went on to the convent, and saw
the ghostly figures of the nuns flitting hither and thither
behind the lattice windows high above the church. I
was evidently an object of some curiosity to them, as
well as to the small boys, who speculated as to whether
I was a princess, or a man from some " far countrie."

Meanwhile the rain fell heavily outside, and the sky
looked like lead ; so we determined to go to dinner, and
asked our nice sailor lad to join us. He appeared as-
tonished, and at first refused, but on my pressing him

Q

226 Italian Sketches.

he accepted, and was a most pleasant companion,
behaving with that charming, easy good breeding so
characteristic of the lower classes in Italy, whose innate
courtesy might serve as a model to most gentlefolk.

From him I learnt that the unhappy bearers, the
apostles, the Cavalierly and, in short, all who belonged
to the procession, would have to stay in the small
church where they had taken refuge until the next
morning at ten, if the rain did not cease before eleven
that evening, and admit of the performance at the
Pentite, which took an hour, and must be concluded
before midnight. It poured all the night, and I did
not envy the crowd of people who were stewing in the
little church.

The Marina, re-christened Via Garibaldi, is picturesque
but decidedly dirty j the side streets are so narrow that
it was a perpetual source of speculation to me what a
Tarentine does when he becomes fat. Some of these
alleys are only two feet wide, and populous as rabbit-
warrens. The inhabitants do not look healthy; their
faces are pale and pasty, but the teeth are splendid,
and the hair black as a raven's wing, while the Greek
blood comes out in the almost universally beautiful ears
and graceful head so well poised on the shoulders.
Now and then one meets a girl who might have posed
for Praxiteles, or a youth who looks as though he had
stepped out of a Greek vase. Occasionally the Saracen

TARENTUM. 227

blood shows strongly, as a swarthy fisherman strolls
along, his brown net thrown over one shoulder.

Earrings are generally worn by the men in and about
Taranto. The trainieri, or carters, have very character-
istic gold circlets, shaped like a half moon, which stand
out from the face, and are decidedly becoming.

Taranto was made into an island by Ferdinand I. of
Arragon, who in 1480 cut through a narrow tongue
of land to secure the town from the attacks of the Turks
after the storming of Otranto and the massacre of the
inhabitants. The noble castle built by Charles V. —
now, alas ! being destroyed by the Italian Government,
in order to build an Admiralty — flanks the canal at
its entrance into the Ionian Sea. At the other end,
the fine round tower which guarded the Mare Piccolo
has disappeared under the crowbar and pickaxe. The
canal is to be widened and deepened to admit the
largest ironclads, and Taranto is destined to become
what it once was — the great seaport of Southern Italy,
and to see the Mare Piccolo again teem with shipping
as of old. It is cut where Hannibal dragged the ships
across the land, when the Roman garrison held the
citadel and prevented the Tarentine vessels from leaving
the inner port.

Near the village of Statte, on the slope of the hill, is a
masseria, or farmhouse, called Triglio, where there is an
enormous cistern which collects the infiltrations from

228 Italian Sketches.

a very large extent of country, and supplies the town
with an unlimited supply of excellent water. An aque-
duct is tunnelled through the rock for about four miles,
and its course is marked by spiracoli, or air-holes. It is
a marvellous piece of work, as the labourers must have
cut their way through the living rock, bent double, the
measurements being only four feet high and two feet
three inches wide. The last three miles of the aqueduct
is supported on two hundred and three arches of irregular
size, and of modern construction.

A curious legend relating to the aqueduct is current
among the peasants. They say that the wizard Virgil
disputed with the witches for the dominion of Taranto,
and tried to gain the affection of the inhabitants. A most
dire drought afflicted the whole country, so Virgil thought
water would be the greatest boon he could confer on
the city. One night he set to work, and made the
aqueduct ere morning. Before he had finished, the
witches discovered what he was doing, and they began
to construct the aqueduct of Saturo ; but dawn broke
ere they had got half-way to the city, and they heard
the applause and joyous acclamations of the Tarentines
at the sight of the clear, bright water brought into their
town by Virgil. The witches were beaten, and their
aqueduct still remains half finished and in ruins.

The first date we can establish in the history of
Tarentum is the defeat of its inhabitants by the Mes-

TARENTUM. 229

sapians, mentioned by Diodorus in B.C. 473. The city
suffered considerably on its capture by Hannibal, but
nothing in comparison to the degradation it underwent
when taken by Fabius Maximus, in 207. He, however,
opposed its proposed reduction to a condition similar
to that of Capua, and Tarentum remained the seat of
the Praetor and the chief town of Southern Italy.
During the civil wars between Octavian and Antony
and S. Pompeius, it is often mentioned as a naval station
of importance; and, in B.C. 36, an agreement between
Octavian and Antony was arranged, to which Tacitus
alludes as the Tarentinum foedus.

Brundusium rather destroyed the importance of Taren-
tum, and we do not find any mention of the city until
after the fall of the Western Empire, when it played an
important part in the Gothic wars. Taken by Belisarius,
and retaken by Totila in a.d. 549, Tarentum remained
in the hands of the Goths until wrested from them by
Narses. In 661, Romoaldus, Duke of Beneventum, took
it from the Byzantine Empire, and it fell successively
into the hands of the Saracens and of the Greek
Emperors, until taken by Robert Guiscard in 1063.
Ever since Taranto has formed part of the kingdom
of Naples.

The view seawards off " La Ringhiera," now called
Corso Cavour, is most beautiful. At a little distance
from the high sea-wall on which one stands is a powerful

230 Italian Sketches.

fresh-water spring, rising with such force in the sea that
a small boat cannot get near it, and a ship loses her
anchor if let go beside the "Ring of Saint Cataldo."
Shoals of porpoises race and tumble, glinting in the
bright sun, and the gulls flap lazily over the sea, which
literally swarms with fish. Watching the porpoises
gambol below, Taras, the son of Poseidon and of the
lovely nymph Satura, the fabled founder of the city,
rose in our imagination on his dolphin from the waves,
and irresistibly we recalled the splendour of the proud
Tarentum, whose schools were so famous that Plato
came from Athens to visit them, and was received by
Archytas, the mathematician, the astronomer, the phi-
losopher, and the brilliant writer, who was seven times
named Strategos, and who, by the ascendency of his
eloquence, his virtues, and his talents, improved the
laws of his country, and made them respected. A great
general, he held the Lucanians in check, and the Taren-
tine arms, during his supremacy, were victorious. Her
navy swept the Ionian sea and the whole basin of the
Adriatic, and the political and commercial influence of
Tarentum was at its highest point.

We thought of the great city which could send forth
an army of thirty thousand foot and five thousand horse,
and whose citizens dared to insult the Roman ambassador,
Lucius Posthumius Megellus, who went to Tarentum to
demand reparation for grievous injuries. The Roman

TARENTUM. 231

spoke bad Greek, and roused the laughter of the flippant
Tarentines, who at length hissed him out of the theatre,
as though he had been a bad actor. A buffoon, known
as the Pint-pot, from his constant drunkenness, with
indecent gestures, bespattered his senatorial gown with
filth. Lucius held it aloft, saying, " Men of Tarentum,
it will take not a little blood to wash this gown."

For ten years Tarentum, aided by Pyrrhus, main-
tained the war against Rome, and at first, thanks to the
superior talents of their ally, and still more to his ele-
phants, so finely described by Lord Macaulay —

" Beside him stalks to battle
The huge earth-shaking beast,
The beast on whom the castle
With all its guards doth stand ;
The beast who hath between his eyes
The serpent for a hand — "

the Greeks had the advantage; but near Beneventum
Pyrrhus was completely defeated, and Tarentum lost
her independence for ever.

The names of Pythagoras, who found an asylum with
Archytas; of Livius Andronicus, the Tarentine Greek,
who gave the first rudiments of the regular drama to
Rome; of Rinthon, the founder of a new kind of
burlesque-farce; of the philosopher and musician
Aristoxenes, pupil of Xenophilus and of Aristotle, of
whose 453 volumes we only possess the " Elements of

232 Italian Sketches.

Harmony," the oldest treatise extant on music, come
before our minds, and we search in vain for a modern
counterpart to so much that is glorious in story. Modern
Taranto can only boast of one famous child, the graceful
and charming musician Paisiello.

To the east of the town of Taranto, overlooking the
Mare Piccolo, which is divided into two basins by the
promontories of II Pizzone and Punta della Penna,
are hills formed almost entirely of shells of the murex.
The Tarantine red-purple dye was celebrated, and is
supposed to have owed its peculiar hue to the use of two
kinds of shell-fish, Murex trunculus, which was the one
used at Tyre, and Murex brandaris, used at Laconia.
Pliny says the murex were caught by pandering to their
greediness. Small nets with a fine mesh were used, and
into these were put small shell-fish, called mitole^ which
had been kept out of the water until half dead. When
lowered into the sea they gape wide open with thirst and
delight, when the murex rushes up, and finding that he
cannot push his long spiny snout through the meshes of
the net, he thrusts his lance-like tongue into the open
shells of the mitole, which instantly closes, catching the
enemy in a vice. When the nets were drawn up the
murex hung in clusters, and were sorted according
to size. The small ones were pounded, the larger
broken, and the fish extracted with an iron hook; the
colour-bags were cut out and thrown into salt. Three

TARENTUM. 233

days were sufficient for maceration, and the fresher the
murex the finer was the dye.

Sixteen miles in circumference, the Mare Piccolo
resembles an inland lake ; its sapphire-blue water reflects
the sun's rays, and it is so perfectly clear that one can
distinguish the foundations of many an old building far
beneath the boat. Fragments of fine Greek vases are
often hauled up in the nets, and now and then an old
coin is found along the beach. Fishing-boats, piled high
with faggots of lentisk covered with the spawn of oysters
and mussels, are perpetually shooting from under the
bridge, coming in from the open sea to deposit their
precious burden in the quiet depths of the inner port.
The wealth of shell-fish is astounding. There are over
a hundred and fifty different species, and ninety-three
kinds of fish come at different times of the year to spawn
in the inland sea. The fishing is worth over five million
francs per annum. Tall poles stand out of the Mare
Piccolo in every direction, whence are suspended, under
the water, row upon row of rope made of grass, into
the strands of which are stuck the spat of oysters and
mussels. The ropes of mussels, called cozze nere at
Taranto, are sold all over Italy. Razor-fish, cockles,
date-mussels, sea-urchins, the various murex, and other
shell-fish are eaten raw, and go by the generic name of
frutti di mare, or sea fruit. The little market-place is
picturesque, but dirty, and all kinds of fish and shells are

234 Italian Sketches.

on sale. The elegant little sea-horses are common, and
the beautiful shells of the Pinna nobilis, for which they
still fish with the peculiar net called fiernuetico, identical
with the pernilegum described by Pliny.

The silky beard of the lana-pesce, as the fishermen call
the pinna, is woven into gloves and scarves as a curiosity ;
in ancient times the transparent robes of the dancing
girls were made of it, and it was valued as a costly and
beautiful material, being either dyed purple or left the
natural beautiful golden-brown hue. Fish culture and
fishing have been cultivated in Taranto by the figli del
mare (sons of the sea), as the guild of fishermen are
called, from time immemorial, and the ancient laws were
codified in the fifteenth century by the last prince of
Taranto, John Antony de Balzo, in the Libro Rosso, or
Red Book.

On calm summer days the fairy-like argonaut sails
about on the Mare Piccolo, and one is tempted to regret
that a scene so peaceful and so fraught with classical
memories should be destined to become a busy arsenal
and seaport.

At the further extremity from the town, two small
brooks, the Cervaro and the Rascho, enter the Mare
Piccolo ; and opposite the Monte de' Coccioli, the hill
formed of murex shells, stands the church of the Ma-
donna del Galesio, on the little stream of Le Citrezze,
the ancient Galesus. Formerly it was well wooded, but

TARENTUM. 235

now the flat banks of the tiny river are but scantily
cultivated with cotton. Two hundred yards from where
the Citrezze flows into the Mare Piccolo rise two powerful
fresh-water springs, now called Citro and Citrello, with
sufficient force to prevent any small boat from approach-
ing close. On the left bank of the streamlet Virgil met
the old Corycian swain, who

"With unbought dainties used to pile his board,"

thanks to his skill in agriculture.
Horace sings of

" Galesus, thy sweet stream I'll choose,
Where flocks of richest fleeces bathe :
Phalanthus there his rural sceptre sway'd,
Uncertain offspring of a Spartan maid.

" No spot so joyous smiles to me
Of this wide globe's extended shores ;
Where nor the labours of the bee
Yield to Hymettus' golden stores,
Nor the green berry of Venafran soil
Swells with a riper flood of fragrant oil."

Martial and Pliny talk of the excellent leeks of Taren-
tum ; Varro praises its honey as the best in Italy. The
salubrity of the climate and the fertility of the soil were
celebrated. Pears, figs, oil, wine, corn, and fine white
salt were among the products ; and the breed of horses
was famous, and supplied the Tarentine light cavalry
(Tapav-nVos) so noted in the armies of Alexander the
Great and his successors.

236 Italian Sketches,

The Tarentine wool has been praised by many classical
writers. Varro speaks of its softness, while Strabo praises
its lustre ; Pliny, Horace, and Martial all laud it, and
Columella describes the great care taken of the sheep.
They were never allowed to graze with their heads turned
towards the sun, for fear of blindness, or let out while the
dew was on the grass. Their wool was washed with wine,
oiled and combed, and then covered with a cloth. The
breed had degenerated in the time of Queen Joan II.,
who in 14 1 5 issued an edict to relieve the guild of wool
manufacturers from various imposts and taxes, in order
to improve the quality of the produce.

The sheep now seen in Apulia are small, and give little
wool ; they are almost universally black, with curiously
brilliant yellow eyes, and agile as deer.

Tarantismo is still implicitly believed in, not only by
the common people, but by most of the Apulian gentry.
I have never seen a case, as the tai'antola only becomes
venomous when the weather is hot. The women glean-
ing in the cornfields are most liable to be bitten, as they
wear but scant clothing, on account of the intense heat.
The following account, which differs considerably from
any hitherto given, is from an eye-witness, a Tarentine
gentleman, who has seen many cases.

There are various species of the insect, and two
different kinds of tarantismo^ the wet and the dry. A
violent fever attacks the person bitten, who sits moaning

TARENTUM. 237

and swaying backwards and forwards. Musicians are
called, and begin playing ; if the air does not strike the
fancy of the tarantata, as the patient is called, she moans
louder, and says, "No, no, not that." The fiddler in-
stantly changes, and the tambourine beats fast and furious
to indicate the difference of the time. When at last the
tarantata gets an air to her liking, she springs up and
begins to dance frantically. If she has the dry taran-
tismo, her friends try to find out the colour of the taran-
tola that has bitten her, and adorn her dress and her
fingers with ribbons that recall the tints of the insect —
white or blue, green, red, or yellow. If no one can
indicate the colour, she is decked with streamers of every
hue, which flutter wildly about as she dances and tosses
her arms in the air. The ceremony generally begins in
the house, but what with the heat and the concourse of
people, it often ends in the street.

If it is a wet tarantismo, the musicians choose a spot
near a well, and the dancer is incessantly deluged with
water by relays of friends, who go backwards and for-
wards to the well with their picturesque brown earthen-
ware jars. My informant tells me that it is incredible
what an amount of water is used on these occasions.
He spoke feelingly, as drought is the great enemy of the
Apulian landowners, who occasionally lose their crops
and their cattle from want of rain.

When the tarantata is quite worn out, she is undressed

238 Italian Sketches.

and put to bed. The fever lasts seventy-two hours, and
the state of nervous excitement must be intense to sustain
a woman under such fatigue as dancing for three whole
days. If the musicians are not called in, and the person
bitten is not induced to dance, the fever continues in-
definitely, and is in some cases followed by death.

There is a master-mason living near Taranto who
mocked at the whole thing, threatening to beat any of
his female belongings who, if bitten by a tarantola,
dared to try the dancing cure. As ill-luck or Saint
Cataldo would have it, he was himself bitten, and after
suffering great pain, and being in a high fever for several
days, he at last sent for the musicians to his own house,
carefully locking the doors and closing the windows.
But the frenzy was too strong, and, to the malicious
delight of the women, he was soon seen bounding about
in the middle of the street, shrieking, " Le feminine hanno
ragion ! " (The women are right).

A favourite ornament at these mad dances are vine
branches decked with ribbons of various hues, which
makes one suspect that there may still linger vestiges of
the old Bacchanalian orgies in these Apulian dances.

The small terra-cotta figures and heads, of which many
thousands have been dug up lately at Taranto, have a
distinct type of their own, and are occasionally very
beautiful. The heads are remarkable for the rather
theatrical exuberance of the head-dress ; heavy wreaths

TARENTUM. 239

and large flowers like rosettes entwine the male heads as
well as the female. The fine gold ornaments in the
museum at Naples, which were found at Taranto, show
the same love of exaggerated magnificence. Ancient
writers mention many works of art ordered by the Taren-
tines from the great Greek artists for the decoration of
their city — the Heracles and the Poseidon, by Lysippus ;
the Winged Victory, which was taken to Rome, where
it became one of the chief ornaments of the Curia Julia ;
Europa on the Bull, by Pythagoras of Rhegion, and
many others. Let us hope that some of these treasures,
and the great candelabra of bronze, with three hundred
and sixty-five burners, sent by Dionysios the younger, to
be placed in the senate-house, as a proof of his friendli-
ness for Archytas, as well as the " irate gods " left by
Fabius Maximus to the conquered Tarentines, may come
to light in the excavations now going on. The coins of
Tarentum are among the finest in the world ; the most
beautiful are of the fifth and fourth century B.C. Taras
astride on his dolphin, holding the trident in one hand,
figures on many ; in others he stands in a chariot driving
two horses, which probably refer to an Agonistic victory.
Shell-fish figure largely on the reverse sides of these
coins, showing that the fishery was a matter of great
importance even in those days. Mionnet gives a list of
one hundred and twenty-five different coins of the city,
a proof of the importance and richness of "imbelle
Tarentum."

SHEPHERD OF MAGNA GR/ECIA.

LEUCASPIDE.

An immense rolling plain of calcareous tufa, with a scant
covering of rich brown earth, studded all over with
colossal olive trees of great age ; cut up by long lines
of rough walls, built in great measure to get rid of the
stones off the cornfields, and dotted here and there with
small towns and solitary masserie or farmhouses, glinting
in the bright sunshine and looking like small fortresses ;
an occasional gravina or ravine with large boulders far
below, where now and then a torrent rages for a short
time in the winter, and a kestrel hovering among the
rocks, — such are the first impressions of this part of
Magna Graecia.

A wild, curious, melancholy country, beautiful in its
way, and a very paradise for the botanist. In March the
short turf is starred all over with the lovely yellow and
purple Romulia columnce, sometimes all purple, some-
times nearly white, with a most delicious smell, like
violets, only more so. The untilled parts of the country
are a soft blue-gray colour from the rosemary, which
grows into immense bushes, and is used for firewood.

R

242 Italian Sketches.

The carub, or locust trees,, shine like green oases in the
midst of the sad, grey olives, their young vegetation
being of a vivid yellow-green, and the leaves looking as
though they had been oiled, so brilliant are they. The
lentisk, the myrtle, the white and the pink gumcistus or
rockrose, and salvia grow luxuriously.

There are several species of wild mignonette, and
many orchids and irises. The beautiful and curious
snake's-head iris, looking as though made of black velvet
shot with yellow-green, grows everywhere, and when in
its favourite position, under a tall bush, sends its long,
slender, reed-like leaves a yard and more up to the light.

In the cultivated land under the olive trees, the
ground is in some places all flecked sky-blue, with the
exquisite iris Morceafugax, which, alas ! lasts but six hours,
uncurling its delicate flowers at midday, and dying with
the setting sun. There are, however, several flowers on
each of them, so their beauty lasts longer than might be
imagined. Purple anemones grow strong and tall, and
the vetches are abundantly represented ; there is one in
particular exactly the colour of a ruby, which in the sun
is positively dazzling. The wild cucumber trails along
the dusty banks with its pale yellow flowers, and the
Cynoglossum columnce, all covered with down like a
maiden's cheek, looks sickly with its glaucus leaves and
queer little roseate flowers, like drops of old port wine.

Squills grow luxuriantly, and the stately, graceful

LEUCASPIDE. 243

asphodel surround the base of the olive trees, the larger
variety sending up a flower stem some four feet high.
In the moonlight it looks a weird, unearthly flower,
bending slowly to the sea breeze, and old Homer's lines
rose to one's mind : —

atya 5' 'Ckovto /cot' acr<po8e\bv Ket/xSiva
ivQa re vaiovcri ^vxa^ efScoAa Kafidvrwv.

— " Again they came to the asphodel meadow, where the
spirits dwell, the shades of the dead " — as ever and anon
the strange, pungent smell rose heavily to the sky.
Here and there a palm tree towers far up towards the
sky, drooping its feathery leaves as though pining for its
distant brethren in Africa.

No wonder the people here believe in witches and in
magic : the lonely expanses of country, the fantastic
shapes of the carub and olive trees — in whose misshapen
trunks the brigands used to hide, dressed in stuff re-
sembling the colour of the trees, so that the soldiers
often passed within a few paces of the men they were
tracking ; the innumerable old tombs, crypts, and
remains of ancient buildings scattered about on every
side, are all well calculated to impress an ignorant
population.

The prickly pear assumes the proportions of a small
tree, and is a source of considerable profit to the pro-
prietors, as it flourishes where nothing else will grow,
and six of the red or yellow luscious fruit sell for five

244 Italian Sketches.

centimes in the towns. On asking how they managed to
pick the fruit from the huge, tangled mass of broad
leaves, all covered with minute and penetrating prickles,
they told me there was a plant called Fumulu, with
which they wipe the leaves and fruit, and which destroy
the innumerable prickles. This same plant is said to
cause blindness, swelling of the head, and ultimately to
kill white sheep. The fact is that one seldom sees any
but black sheep, which they say are not affected by the
Fumulu (Iperico crispd).

Apulia is very sparsely inhabited. There are no
cottages, and the field-work is all done by gangs of men
and women from the various small towns. Wages are
low : a man gets one franc a day, a woman half that
sum, save at harvest-time, or when the olives are
gathered; then a woman receives seventy to eighty
centimes, a man from two to two and a half francs.
The day's work is a poor one, as many of the labourers
live from two to five miles from their work, so they come
late and leave early, besides being tired by walking such
a distance. This state of things may change as the sense
of security increases. It is hardly credible that up to
1816 the Turkish and Algerian corsairs used to carry off
women and young boys and girls into slavery ! Until
after the bombardment of Algiers by Lord Exmouth, no
woman was safe near the sea-coast. After this came
the brigandage, which only ceased in 1862, when twenty-

LEUCASPIDE. 245

one brigands were killed in a pitched battle, and eleven
taken as prisoners to Taranto, where they were shot next
morning in the market-place.

The agricultural instruments are curiously primitive.
The spade is unknown, and everything is done with a
short-handled and much-bent hoe. Earth and stones are
carried, exactly as in Egypt, in small rush-baskets on one
shoulder, each basket containing about twelve handfuls.
I attempted to explain a wheelbarrow to an Apulian
peasant with signal unsuccess ; no doubt he would use it
as the Arabs did, when M. de Lesseps tried to introduce
them at Ismailia on the Suez Canal — turn them topsy-
turvy to sleep under.

The plough weighs from eight to ten pounds, and
consists of two very slender bent boughs of olive, or ilex,
as shafts, and a tiny wooden coulter, roughly shaped
with a hatchet, which just scratches the soil when the
man leans on a stick that he fits into a hole on the upper
part. Sometimes one sees fourteen pairs of oxen and
five or six pairs of mules ploughing in a line under the
olives ; the fields are very large, and they make no
furrows for the water to drain off. When the day's work
is over, the plough is tied on to the horns of one ox, who
trails the shafts on each side as he sedately paces home-
wards.

The common people, particularly to the north of
Taranto, are wonderfully Eastern in look and manner;

246 Italian Sketches.

the tall, lithe figure, the bright face, brilliant teeth, and
peculiar bluish tinge of the white of the eye, all tell of
the Saracen blood. When one meets a shepherd
trudging through the bushes after his small, wild, black
sheep, he grins from ear to ear, saying salute (salve),
and then pours out a torrent of incomprehensible dialect,
raising his voice to a shout as he perceives that you
cannot understand a word. His good-bye is state vi ben
(keep well), and he will generally call you tu (thou), not
from any want of respect, but from old custom. He
dresses in a waistcoat and trousers all of one piece, made
of goat's skin, with the hair turned inside, and a brown
cloth jacket woven from the fleeces of his black sheep.
The shepherds guide their flocks partly by voice and
partly by throwing stones ; they are unerring shots, and
a marauding lamb who has ventured into the corn, jumps
high off the ground on receiving a stone on its nose.
The shepherds play, on a kind of flute fashioned out of
a cane, wild, melancholy music, which recalls Pan's
pipes, as the sound is wafted across a ravine, mingled
with the deep booming of the cows' bells and the sharp
tinkle of the smaller ones around the neck of the bell-
wether.

The masserie, or farmhouses, look very imposing,
generally placed on elevated ground, to avoid the
malaria as far as possible, and built of white stone,
which glitters in the sunshine. They consist almost

LEUCASPIDE. 247

invariably of a very large open courtyard, surrounded
with high walls. On one side of the yard is an immense
vaulted cow-house, built of stone, with a manger running
all around, divided off for each animal, in the centre of
each division is sunk a common majolica plate, and, after
the beasts have finished their meal of chaff and oats, the
massaro delle bestte, or cowkeeper, goes around and
sweeps the dust and refuse into the plate, whence it is
easily cleared and thrown away. Out of this stable open
immense vaulted chambers, with apertures in the roof
where the chaff is thrown in. At one end is a large
archway leading into a room with a chimney-shaft in
the middle of the roof. Over a great slab of stone, on
which olive branches smoulder, hangs a cauldron full of
water ; all around the room runs a raised bench of stone,
and on this are spread the miserable mattresses which
serve the shepherds as beds. Their food consists chiefly
of a thick puree made of beans, seasoned with a little
salt, when they can afford it.

The sheep's milk is excellent, very rich in cream, and
fragrant in taste from the quantity of thyme and other
sweet herbs eaten by the sheep. The ovile or sheep-pen
stands at a little distance from the masseria ; it consists
generally of three large yards, one for the ewes in milk,
one for the lambs, and one for the ewes which are not
giving milk. At one end of the yard for the milk-ewes
is a tiny hut, divided in the middle ; here sit two men

248 Italian Sketches.

near apertures just large enough to admit one sheep at
a time. A boy stands in the yard and pushes one ewe
after another through the holes into the hut, where the
men lay hold of the poor beasts by their tails, as they try
to rush past. They then milk them into big pails in an
incredibly short space of time. Each ewe gives a little
under a quart of milk a day, and as soon as they are
allowed to run out of the door of the hut, the lambs are
waiting for their mothers, and finish any drop of milk
the men leave. The massaro delle fiecore, or shepherd,
makes a sort of dry curd, called ricotta, which is delicious,
particularly when mixed with the honey which fully
justifies the praises of the poets. The ricotta marzotica,
made in March and salted, keeps far into summer, and
resembles the little Normandy cheeses. In May, when
the herbage is most luxuriant, they make cream an inch
thick, from cows' or buffaloes' milk, like the Turkish
caimak. Lu quagliatu, very like the Eastern yaghourt,
is a common dish here, as it is in Sardinia — a remini-
scence of the Saracen invasion. Cacio cavallo (horse
cheese) is also excellent ; it is shaped like a small club,
and gets its queer name from being suspended, a cavallo
(astride), tied in pairs, across a bar of wood.

The great produce is oil ; but partly from the scarcity
of labour, partly from the want of energy and enterprise
in the people, it is so badly made as to be almost un-
salable in the rest of Italy. The olives are allowed to

LEUCASPIDE. 249

hang on the trees until they fall from sheer rottenness.
The idea is that in this way more oil is obtained ; but if
a storm comes, thousands of olives are swept away by
the rain, and in any case the oil is of a bad colour, and
the taste rancid and earthy. There is a considerable
export of wool and corn; but the sheep are a small,
stunted breed, only giving an average of two and a
quarter pounds of wool per head. The cattle are hardy,
dark grey in colour, and with hoofs like iron : the cross-
roads in Apulia are generally tracks worn in the rock,
and the oxen are unshod. Cotton is extensively grown :
the staple is short, but the quality excellent, and in every
house is a loom where the women weave all the sheets,
quilts, and necessary household stuff, and the material
for their own clothes.

The horses are chiefly Dalmatian and Sardinian —
handsome, courageous little beasts, full of fire, and doing
their forty or fifty miles at a swinging trot. The mules
are splendid, and the donkeys excellent. In general the
animals are well treated, and look sleek and fat.

Close to the masseria of Leucaspide, belonging to a
well-known and popular member of London society, Sir
James Lacaita, one can trace the old chariot-road from
Taranto to Gnatia, on the Adriatic, where Horace slept
on his journey to Brindisi.

The Leucaspide, or heavy infantry with the white
shields, who served under Pyrrhus at the battle of

250 Italian Sketches.

Asculum, are supposed to have encamped here, and all
about the property are remains of old tombs and cave
habitations. One seldom goes out without finding
fragments of pottery, some of fine texture, light, and
of a brilliant black or a soft grey colour ; many pieces,
bearing traces of paint or of incised ornamentation, are
evidently Greek, others are coarse, heavy, and hand-
made, before the invention of the potter's wheel.

The masseria of Leucaspide stands about two hundred
feet above the sea, and is of the usual dazzling white
stone. It was a mere ruin, but Sir James Lacaita has
added considerably to the farmhouse, and has built a
long loggia or arcade all along the south-west front,
which overhangs a garden full of orange and lemon
trees, with great yellow masses of brobdingnagian house-
leek and patches of blue Parma violets. To the south
lies the town of Taranto, about six miles off, shining like
driven snow in the sun, and the two islands, once
Chcerade, now San Pietro and San Paolo, seem to float
on the milky coloured water. The Ionian Sea is some
six miles from the masseria, and on the other side of
the beautiful bay rise the snow-capped mountains of the
Basilcate, and farther off, gradually fading into mist on
the far horizon, are the Calabrian mountains, rugged and
wild as their inhabitants. The sky is of a pale, clear
blue, and the sunsets are like a picture by Turner.

Directly opposite, on the Basilcate shore, lies the

LEUCASPIDE. 251

village of Metaponto, mentioned in the Odyssey as
Alybas, founded by the hero of that name, who gave
hospitality to Hercules when he took back the oxen of
Geryon to Greece. While Hercules was in the house
the wife of Alybas had a son, and they named him
Metabos, "born after the arrival of the oxen." Meta-
ponto only appears in real history about the seventh
century B.C., when, after the destruction of the old town
of Metabos by the barbarians who came down from the
hills, the Sybarites sent a colony under Leucippos,
chiefly formed of fugitive Messinians, who founded the
new Metaponto. Pythagoras went there when driven
out of Crotona towards the end of the sixth century B.C.,
and was received with every mark of admiration and
respect. He died there, owing to the persecution of
Cylon, whose partisans set fire to the edifice where the
philosopher was teaching.

Of ancient Metaponto nothing now remains but fifteen
large columns, the relics of a temple. Everything that
could be used for building purposes has long since been
taken away, and a ruin, discovered and partially ex-
cavated by the Due de Luynes in 1828, has shared the
same fate. The"; emblem of Metaponto was an ear of
corn, symbol of the goddess of plenty; most of the
ancient coins of the city bear it, sometimes in conjunc-
tion with a locust.

On a clear day, a little to the left, you can distinguish,

252 Italian Sketches.

on rising ground, the farmhouse of Policoro, belonging
to Prince Gerace, which stands on the site of Heracleia,
founded B.C. 432 by the Tarentines. The city was in
alliance with the Lucanians and the Tarentines against
Rome in 278 B.C., and it was doubtless to detach them
from their old friends that the Romans granted the
Heracleians a treaty of alliance on such favourable
terms that Cicero called it

"Prope singulare foedus."

The town seems to have suffered severely in the Social
War, as we learn that all its records were destroyed by
fire. The Tabulae Heracleenses, one of the most in-
teresting monuments of antiquity, were found close by.
These bronze tables are now in the Museum at Naples ;
they bear a Latin inscription relating to the municipal
regulations of Heracleia, but which is only a copy of a
more general law, the Lex Julia Municipalise promulgated
in 45 B.C. for all the towns of Italy. On the back is a
Greek inscription of far earlier date. Coins and bronzes
have been found in considerable numbers, and the most
beautiful Greek vases in the Naples collection were found
at Heracleia The coins bear a noble head, in profile, of
Minerva, with the scylla on her helmet, and Hercules
wrestling with the lion on the reverse, his club beside
him, and a little bird between his legs.

To the right, as we look across the bay, and behind
Policoro, rises a mountain, called La Spina di Latronico,

Leucaspide. 253

in shape like Vesuvius ; and a little to the left one sees
the great mass of the Pollino group, the highest point of
which exceeds six thousand feet, and is clothed in snow-
till far into the summer. Further again to the south the
mountains sink, and we know that Sybaris, the great city-
founded b.c. 720, famous for its opulence and power,
lies hidden in the earth, with the waters of the Crathis
flowing above it, through what is now a desolate swamp,
frequented by vast herds of buffaloes and pestilent with
fever. Yet more to the left, but lost in the mists, rise
the Calabrian Mountains, which fall towards the sea,
forming the three Iapygian promontories, on one of
which, now Capo delle Colonne, stands all that is left
of the celebrated temple of the Lacinian Juno, the one
column which, standing out solitary against the blue sky,
serves as a landmark to the mariner.

Crotona, celebrated in ancient history for the extreme
beauty of its inhabitants and for its school of medicine,
is now represented by the small town of Cotrone, whose
women pass for the handsomest of all the country around.
The famous picture of Helen, for which Zeuxis was
allowed to choose five of the most beautiful virgins of
the city as his models, has long since disappeared ; but
it is to be hoped that the excavations which Professor
Viola, an enthusiastic and learned archaeologist, is to
undertake for the Italian Government, will throw some
light on the almost unknown history of the famous cities

254 Italian Sketches.

of Magna Graecia. Numerous coins have been found,
the most ancient of a type peculiar to Magna Graecia,
called incuse, one side convex, the other side concave.
The earlier ones bear a tripod, the later have an angry-
looking full face of the Lacinian Juno, and on the reverse
a seated Hercules with a vase in his right hand.

Behind the masseria of Leucaspide runs the wild
picturesque Gravina di Leucaspide, the rocks in some
places all overgrown with rosemary, myrtle, gumcistus,
and lentisk, which in March is just coming into bloom,
the buds looking like small portions of the crimson
" Love-lies-bleeding " stuck on all over the boughs. The
wild pear-trees in full bloom shine like snow in the sun,
and wild olives spring up on every side, mixed with the
feathery Pinus maritima and the ilex. In the gravine is
a natural cavern, of difficult access, as the rocks are
slippery, and one has to scramble down the rugged
declivities for sixty feet before reaching the narrow
ledge in front of the cave, with some hundreds of feet
of precipice below. We found traces of ancient paint-
ings, which have been almost defaced by holes made in
the centre of them; these must be of old date, the
broken rock being of the same colour as the rest. The
cavern runs over four hundred and fifty feet into the
earth, and branches off into two arms, both ending in a
lofty chamber, with long stalagmites which glistened
yellowish-white as our lamps flashed upon them. One

Leucaspide. 255

could trace signs of couches cut in the rock, but at
present the only inhabitants are bats and owls. We
could find no crosses cut in the roof, or on the sides of
this cave, as on all the others I have seen about here.

This gravina runs down towards the sea-shore, and
gradually opens out and loses itself in the flat land.
Towards Taranto lies a smaller ravine, the Gravina
Mater Gratia, one of the wildest dells one can see, like
an ideal drop-scene for the Freischutz. Near the end
is a church of good size, with some dozen large columns
standing in front, as though the intention had been to
make it still larger. This church has been built on the
site of an old sanctuary where, they say, once lived a
holy hermit. Unluckily, to build the comparatively
modern church and a house attached, they have cut
away and destroyed great part of the old chapel, which
was hewn out of the rock, and still bears traces of
painting all over the roof and walls. Where the altar
once stood is a daub of recent date, painted on the rock,
perhaps covering an ancient fresco; a Christ on the
cross and the Maries round, with a saint and a kneeling
ox. Once a year people go on a pilgrimage to the
sanctuary of Mater Gratia, and occasionally a mass is
said in the church, whose doors stand wide open, the
altar already for service, and no human creature near.
The house is empty, and is falling to ruin, and the little
garden which had once been walled round and evidently

256 Italian Sketches.

well cared for, was a wilderness. It was like a fairy tale,
and I expected one of the big green lizards who lay-
basking in the sun on the rocks suddenly to cast off its
skin and appear as a hoary hermit.

Opposite the church is a large cavern divided into
three rooms, which bears traces of having been in-
habited ; there are the remains of a cistern for rain water
and of an oven, and several benches cut in the rock
around the sides of the cave. A little further on is a
similar old rock-house, but smaller.

The tradition runs, that long ages ago a particularly
fine ox disappeared from the herd ; people searched for
him for a long time, and at last the entrance to the
gravina was found, all overgrown with ivy, clematis,
and other creeping plants. On exploring the ravine the
rock-cut chapel was discovered, and the missing ox on
its knees in adoration of a picture of the Madonna.
Hence the name of the gravina, " Mater Gratia."

About two miles from Leucaspide, on the farm of San
Giovanni, also belonging to Sir James Lacaita, is a high,
flat expanse of nearly bare rock, where once was a forest,
and towards the centre, on a small round mound, stands
the Tavola del Paladino, or Paladin's table — a huge,
irregular slab of stone, supported on four smaller ones,
and evidently the tomb of some ancient hero buried near
an old chariot-road, whose ruts can be followed for miles
in the rock.

Leucaspide. 257

Professor Viola had long wished to excavate here, and
Sir James Lacaita had kindly put off the work until I
could be present. On a splendid morning we started in
high spirits, with four men to dig, or rather hoe, out the
treasures we had made up our minds to find. It was a
beautiful scene : the expanse of rocky land, with rose-
mary bushes wherever there was an inch of soil, and the
purple wind-flowers glowing in the sun ; the lovely
Ionian Sea rippling with a slight breeze, and the larks
soaring above, singing aloud ; a company of cranes, too,
we heard far out of sight, and the inevitable kestrel
hovered close by.

Broken bits of stone lay round about the Tavola del
Paladino, as though the slab had once been much
longer. We soon perceived that the tomb had long
ago been rifled, but we dug out some human remains,
among them one perfect upper jawbone, and several
pieces of two lower jawbones with some splendid teeth,
and a considerable quantity of rough prehistoric pottery,
called "Bucchero Italico." Everything was found in
the uncovered portion of the tomb facing eastwards. It
forms a right angle seventeen feet nine inches long and
six feet six inches broad, only half of which is at present
covered by the Tavola, which is raised three feet three
inches off the ground, and rests on four upright slabs, the
one towards the east only supporting half the covering-
stone and leaving a perfect doorway, by which one can

s

258 Italian Sketches.

enter underneath to what was perhaps the Sacellum,
while the slab nine feet nine inches long and seven feet
broad may have really served as the table for funeral
feasts in honour of the hero or heroes who have been
buried below. We dug out about two feet of earth, and
found that the bottom of the tomb was formed of the
solid rock, while long slabs of stone had been neatly
arranged around the sides, so as to form a huge coffin.

Professor Viola said that this was the first megalithic
tomb that had been excavated in the province of Lecce ;
he hopes it may lead to the exploration of others, in
order to try and throw some light on the life of the
ancient inhabitants, who, about here, were, without
doubt, of Iapygian race. All the excavations made
hitherto in and near Taranto by Signor Viola which can
be referred to this ancient epoch have shown different
characteristics : the " Bucchero Italico " was always mixed
with oriental vases, or the native imitations, none of
which we found in the Paladin's tombs. We know
that the Greeks came to Taranto in 707 B.C., and the
Phoenicians had traded in the Ionian Sea long before,
bringing the Oriental pottery with them, which was
gradually copied by the native inhabitants ; so I leave
any learned reader to establish a date for the Tavola del
Paladino.

Our workmen had their own theory, which did not
quite agree with the remarks of the learned professor.

LEUCASPIDE. 259

They first said it was Christian, and when we told them
that the bones belonged to some hero who died long
before our Lord was born, " Yes ! that is nothing ; in
those days the Christians did not die, they were buried
alive by the pagans, who in their turn were killed by the
Paladins, who sat around this very stone and feasted
after their battles."

At a small distance from the Tavola del Paladino
runs the Gravina di San Giovanni, wilder than any other,
and where we just missed seeing a wolf who had
frightened a shepherd-boy some two hours before. They
are not so common here as in Calabria, where lives are
lost every winter in encounters with the savage brutes.
When the peasants chance to kill one, the head and
skin are carried around in triumph to the different
masserie, and the men get presents of money, eggs, or
grain.

About half-way down the Gravina di San Giovanni
another small ravine enters it at right angles, running up
towards Accetta, a masseria belonging to the Cordiglia
family, who are most courteous and kind to strangers.
This small Gravina ends abruptly in a sharp point, and
is planted with orange trees of divers species. It is a
wonderful sight, like the garden of the Hesperides. The
trees, being entirely protected from wind, grow luxuriously,
and the leaves are of a glossy dark green. The high
rocky walls of the ravine are hollowed out by the action

260 Italian Sketches.

of water into caves of most fantastic shapes ; some are
quite hidden under curtains of ivy and clematis, and the
rich black soil is carpeted with wild flowers. The
golden-red oranges above one's head, and within reach of
one's hand, seemed to set the very air on fire. There
were about sixty thousand hanging on the trees in a little
over an acre of ground. Don Nicola Cordiglia gave me
one small bough with eight oranges in one cluster.

The Spanish titles of " Don " and " Donna " are uni-
versal here, and every one is called by their Christian
name — " Don Alessandro," " Donna Veneranda," and
so forth. The dependants kiss their master's hand and
say " Eccellenza," but have a pleasant, frank way with
them, and a sense of their own dignity, which is delight-
ful. They are an honest race too, for doors are left
open, and the large orange gardens are unguarded. The
cattle remain out in the fields for six months of the year,
the people all sleeping in the houses for fear of fever.
Ladders for pruning the tall olive trees are left out night
after night, miles away from the masserie, and as they
are worth some ten to fifteen francs, and the people are
miserably poor, I think it says wonders for the popula-
tion. Just under the windows of Leucaspide, in the
cornfields, there is a gang of women at work weeding,
all in a line, with an overseer walking backwards in
front of them. They come from Gioia, a large town
some twenty-four miles distant, and they stay two months

LEUCASP1DE. 261

for field-work. Two are old women, the other nine
young girls, of whom two are strikingly handsome. One
is a perfect Arab, the other a pure Greek type, with
delicate profile and the peculiar hands of the Venus of
Medici, small and bent, with very curved fingers.

One evening Sir James Lacaita (who is as popular
among the Apulian peasants as he is in London drawing-
rooms) invited the women and some bricklayers who are
working here to come upstairs and dance the " Pizzica "
and sing. I sat next to the Greek beauty, and never met
a more modest, nice-mannered girl ; she talked more
intelligible Italian than the others, and told me she was
trying to earn money for her wedding. She danced
beautifully, beginning with almost invisible steps, gliding
over the floor, her apron coquettishly held in the fore-
finger and thumb of each hand : then suddenly she
would raise one arm above her head, holding the other
bent backwards on the hip, and, snapping her fingers,
would hop around her dancer, seeming to flaunt at him,
and to dare him to follow her. The man she danced
with had a superb figure, and seemed to fly, with the
backs of his open hands resting on his hips, his head
well erect, and his eyes sparkling with excitement. As
one dancer tired, another rose and rushed into the dance.
After some tumblers of wine had been passed round, a
song was suggested, and one of the men began a senti-
mental love-song with the guitar. Then I begged for a

s 3

262 Italian Sketches.

real peasants' song, and took down the words of the
sonetto, as they call it : —

" Quanno s'affacce tu, donna reale,
Ognuno dicera : Mo spande 'lu sole ;
Non e lu sole e manco so' li stelle
E lu splendore che cacce sta donna belle."

(When thou lookest forth, royal lady,

Every one will say ; Now the sun is shining.

It is not the sun, nor yet the stars,

But the splendour sent forth by this beautiful woman.)

The tune is wild and melancholy, and recalls Arab music
in its long notes, ending almost with a sob.

The instruments were a guitar and a guitar battente,
which has but five silver strings, and makes a sort of
shrill, incessant accompaniment ; a tambourine, which
one man played splendidly, and a deep earthenware pot,
covered with tightly stretched sheep-skin, in the centre of
which is a hole ; through this is forced a round, smooth
piece of wood. The player begins by spitting two or
three times into his hand, and then moves it up and down
the stick as fast as he can. This produces a queer dron-
ing sound, rather like a bagpipe in the far distance.

Even the oldest woman occasionally got up and danced,
and seemed to enjoy it as much as the girls. They told
me they slept on trestle beds with straw mattresses, in a
big room off the courtyard. Their food consists of la
farinella, coarse flour made of maize, which they bring
with them in sacks and eat with wooden spoons, chewing

LEUCASPIDE. 263

it into a kind of paste, and swallowing it without any other
preparation.

About eight miles south of Taranto lies the old baronial
castle of the Princes of Leporano, head of the Muscettola
family, one of whom was general under Charles V. at the
siege of Florence. Apulia literally swarms with these
baronial castles ; nearly every little village is crowned by
a huge keep, generally of about the time of Charles of
Anjou, with massive towers and large vaulted rooms.
From the fine terrace of Leporano, now falling into decay,
one can see the Torre di Satura, which probably marks
the site of Saturum, as there are traces of mosaic pave-
ments and of a subterranean passage. The Muscettola
family, now represented by a female branch line, was one
of the oldest in Italy ; they came originally from Ravello,
near Amalfi, where the fine bronze gates of the ancient
cathedral were erected in 11 79, by Sergio Muscettola and
his wife Sigelgaita, to the honour of the mother of God.

About a mile beyond Leporano is the magnificent castle
of Pulsano, also belonging to the Muscettolas, and fast
falling to ruin. The village now clusters close up to the
keep, as the high wall, with a tower at each corner, has
been destroyed. Pulsano is a noble example of the
thirteenth century, an irregular oblong, with one large
square tower and two smaller round ones on the left side,
and one immense round tower and one square on the
right.

264 Italian Sketches.

The cellars are spacious, and the living rooms, now
used as granaries, bear traces of former splendour, in fine
fireplaces and gilt doors. There is a wide stone staircase
from the courtyard to the first floor, and a very narrow
breakneck one, out of a room leading on to the roof,
whence one can climb to the top of the five towers, each
of which forms a room. The view is very beautiful : on
one side the bay of Taranto, laughing in the bright sun,
and all round a brilliant green carpet of young corn, dotted
here and there with gray-green olive trees.

One peculiarity of Pulsano is a long, narrow, precipi-
tous staircase, which runs like a ladder up from the court-
yard to the roof. In the cellar is still kept a huge stone
ball, with a hole punched half through it. This ball was
put on a spike at the top of the staircase, and sent rolling
down on to the assailants. The population of the two
villages of Leporano and Pulsano are of quite a different
type from the Tarentines. They are very handsome, and
generally fair ; we saw some children with perfectly flaxen
hair and ruddy complexion.

Further south, towards Lecce, the peasants still speak
a kind of bastard Greek. I give a specimen of their
songs, as the language is fast dying out, and will soon
become a thing of the past.

'* Aspro ne to charti, aspro to chioni,
Aspro ne to calazi ce o prozimi,
Aspro to sfondilossu ce o brachioni
Mmesa sto pettossu mila afs' asiml.

LEUCASPIDE. 265

Jamena se pingepsan dio mastori

Isane Patriarchi Serafini."
Ce se pingepsan ce se caman oria
Ce Angelu en ei mancu stin gloria."

(" White is paper and white is the snow,
White is the milk and also the leaven,
White is thy neck and also thy fine arms,
In the midst of thy breast are two silver apples.
For me thou hast been painted by two masters,
They were Patriarchs and Seraphim,
And they painted thee and made thee so lovely
That there is no Angel (like thee) even in heaven.")

" Ana petanu androchimu
Pesune s'tin auleddasu
Na me patii ta podiasu
Na me cheri psicheddamu. "

(" When I die, my dear brown one,
Bury me in thy small courtyard,
So that I may be trodden by thy feet,
And my little soul may rejoice.")

" De apsi camila,
De apsi calasa,
De apsi gineca
Mai calo istasa."

(" Neither from fog,
Nor from hail,
Nor from woman
Will ever come good.")

On the other side of Leucaspide, to the north is the
curious and weirdly beautiful little town of Massafra,
situated on a small hill cut in two by a deep rugged
ravine, spanned by a fine bridge, the arches some three

266 Italian Sketches.

hundred feet high. If I had been suddenly dropped blind-
folded into Massafra, and then told to take the bandage
off my eyes and say where I was, I should have answered,
" Egypt." The people are pure Arabs in look and gesture,
the shrill intonation of the voice is Arab, so are the
splendid eyes and brilliant teeth. Their passion for
bright colours in their dresses, and for daubing red,
yellow, blue, and green paint on the outside of their
miserable huts, is quite Eastern. They talk an impossible
patois, which even the people round find it difficult to
understand. The tradition runs that the Saracens, grad-
ually driven back from Taranto, settled there, withstanding
all attempts to dislodge them ; thence the name Massa
Africa (the rock of the Africans), now Massafra. But no
one really knows much about the place.

The hill on which the little city stands is all overgrown
with prickly pears, and one or two feathery palm-trees
wave slowly to the wind, perhaps planted by the swarthy
Saracens, as the palm is said to live longer than any other
tree.

The view of the bridge is most extraordinary, and very
picturesque. The two steep sides of the ravine are alive
with people, who still inhabit the old cave dwellings of
the aboriginal races of this country. Overhanging the
precipice, and partly cut out of the living rock, is a noble
mediaeval castle, its large round towers going sheer down
to the bottom of the gravina, where in winter there is

LEUCASPIDE. 267

sometimes a raging torrent, which occasionally floods the
lower caves, and drives the poor inhabitants out for a
time.

I went down a steep path opposite the castle for a little
way, and looked into the rock habitations. Some had no
doors of any sort, and contained a bedstead, a wooden
box, and a chair ; occasionally the people had built a sort
of entrance porch, and in one a woman was sitting
spinning cotton, which is extensively grown round the
town. Two hens were perched on the back of the chair,
and a goat lay chewing the cud at her feet.

The modern and extremely dirty town is built on the
summits of the two hills, and extends down a broad road
towards the railway station. About a mile and a half
behind the town, in the bottom of the gravina, is the
church of the Madonna della Scala, so called from the
immense staircase which has been built to get down
from the road to the bottom of the ravine. The modern
church has been erected on the site of one of ancient
date, hewn out of the rock, and of which a part is still
existing; a small chapel with a rather majestic Virgin and
child painted on the wall, over an altar cut out of stone,
and an arched passage, of which one side only is left,
with saints, rather above life size, painted in fresco and of
wonderfully vivid colours. These, although Byzantine in
character, do not appear older than the thirteenth century.
In the modern church is a Madonna with the infant

268 Italian Sketches.

Jesus, of which the usual fable is related : a light was
seen hovering in the gravina, a peasant dug and dis-
covered the holy picture. It is so blackened by smoke
that I could only just make out its Byzantine outline on a
gold background. The whole of the ravine of Massafra
is honeycombed with the ancient cave habitations of the
prehistoric inhabitants ; to whom succeeded the early
Christians, who hid there, doubtless from persecution, and
who cut the cross in nearly every cave I saw. After
them the Saracens, who gradually adopted Christianity,
and amalgamated more or less with the Greeks, took pos-
session of the rock-hewn dwellings, and at Massafra their
descendants still inhabit them.

Now that the railway has made communication easy,
doubtless the history of this interesting and fascinating
country will be more studied. The great want at present
is decent inns. Travellers in Apulia, and still more in
Calabria, must be prepared to rough it considerably, but
the place and the people are delightful. Taranto is to
become the great naval station of Southern Italy, and
every one is looking forward with great interest to what
may come to light when the docks are dug out on the site
of " molle Tarentum."

THE END.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES.

A LIST OF

KEG AN PAUL, TRENCH & CO.'S
PUBLICATIONS.

3S7

I, Paternoster Square,

London,

A LIST OF

KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH & CO.'S

PUBLICATIONS.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

General Literature. . 2
Parchment Library . . 20
Pulpit Commentary . . 22
International Scientific
Series . . . .31

Military Works.
Poetry ....
Novels and Tales .
Books for the Young

PAGE

. 35
. 36
. 42
. 44

GENERAL LITERATURE.

A. K. H. B. — From a Quiet Place. A Volume of Sermons.
Crown 8vo, $s.

ALEXANDER, William, D.D., Bishop ofDerry.—Tihe Great Ques-
tion, and other Sermons. Crown 8vo, 6j-.

ALLEN, Rev. R., M.A.— Abraham \ his Life, Times, and
Travels, 3800 years ago. Second Edition. Post 8vo, 6s

ALLLES, T. TV., M.A.—Per Crucem ad Lucem. The Result of a
Life. 2 vols. Demy 8vo, 2$s.
A Life's Decision. Crown 8vo, p. bd.

AMHERST, Rev. TV. J.— The History of Catholic Emancipa-
tion and the Progress of the Catholic Church in the
British Isles (chiefly in England) from 1771-1820.
2 vols. Demy 8vo, 24 s.

AMOS, Professor Sheldon.— Tine History and Principles of the
Civil Law of Rome. An aid to the Study of Scientific and
Comparative Jurisprudence. Demy 8vo, 16s.

Ancient and Modern Britons. A Retrospect. 2 vols. Demy 8vo,
24s.

ANDERSON, David.— ''Scenes" in the Commons. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 3

ARISTOTLE.— The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle. Trans-
lated by F. H. Peters, M.A. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

ARMSTRONG, Richard A., B.A.— Latter-Day Teachers. Six
Lectures. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

AUBERTIN, J. J.—K Flight to Mexico. With Seven full-page
Illustrations and a Railway Map of Mexico. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

Six Months in Cape Colony and Natal. With Illustra-
tions and Map. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BADGER, George Percy, D.C.L.—An English- Arabic Lexicon.
In which the equivalent for English Words and Idiomatic
Sentences are rendered into literary and colloquial Arabic.
Royal 4to, 80s.

BAGEHOT, Walter. —The English Constitution. New and
Revised Edition. Crown 8vo, *js. 6d.

Lombard Street. A Description of the Money Market. Eighth
Edition. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

Essays on Parliamentary Reform. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Some Articles on the Depreciation of Silver, and Topics
connected with it. Demy 8vo, 5s.

BAGOT, Alan, C.E.— Accidents in Mines: their Causes and
Prevention. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Principles of Colliery Ventilation. Second Edition,
greatly enlarged. Crown 8vo, 5-y.

The Principles of Civil Engineering as applied to
Agriculture and Estate Management. Crown 8vo,
7*. 6d.

BAIRD, Henry M. — The Huguenots and Henry of Navarre.
2 vols. With Maps. 8vo, 24J.

BAKER, Sir Sherston, Bart. — The Laws relating to Quarantine,
Crown 8vo, \2s. 6d.

BAKER, Thomas.— A Battling Life ; chiefly in the Civil Service.
An Autobiography, with Fugitive Papers on Subjects of Public
Importance. Crown 8vo, *js. 6d.

BALDWIN, Capt. J. H.— The Large and Small Game of
Bengal and the North- Western Provinces of India.

With 20 Illustrations. New and Cheaper Edition. Small 4to,
ior. 6d.

BALL, John, F.R.S.— Notes of a Naturalist in South America.

With Map. Crown 8vo, 8,r. 6d.

BALLIN, Ada S. and F. L.—K Hebrew Grammar. With
Exercises selected from the Bible. Crown 8vo, *js. 6d.

BARCLAY, Edgar.— Mountain Life in Algeria. With numerous
Illustrations by Photogravure. Crown 4to, 16s.

A List of

BARLOW, James W— The Ultimatum of Pessimism. An

Ethical Study. Demy 8vo, 6s.

Short History of the Normans in South Europe. Demy

8vo, 7s. 6d.

BAUR, Ferdinand, Br. Ph. — A Philological Introduction to
Greek and Latin for Students. Translated and adapted
from the German, by C. Kegan Paul, M.A., and E. D.
Stone, M.A. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BAYLY, Capt. George.— Sea. Life Sixty Years Ago. A Record of
Adventures which led up to the Discovery of the Relics of the
long-missing Expedition commanded by the Comte de la Perouse.
Crown 8vo, %s. 6d.

BENN, Alfred W.— The Greek Philosophers. 2 vols. Demy

8vo, 2$S.
Bible Folk- Lore. A Study in Comparative Mythology. Crown 8vo,

10s. 6d.

BIRD, Charles, F.G.S.— Higher Education in Germany and
England. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Birth and Growth of Religion. A Book for Workers. Crown
8vo, cloth, 2s. ; paper covers, is,

BLACKBURN, Mrs. Hugh.— Bible Beasts and Birds. 22 Illus-
trations of Scripture photographed from the Original. 4to, 42s.

BLECKLY, Henry. — Socrates and the Athenians : An Apology.
Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

BLOOMFIELD, The Lady.— Reminiscences of Court and Dip-
lomatic Life. New and Cheaper Edition. With Frontispiece.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

BLUNT, The Ven. Archdeacon.— -The Divine Patriot, and other
Sermons. Preached in Scarborough and in Cannes. New
and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 4s.' 6d.

BLUNT, Wilfrid S.—The Future of Islam. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Ideas about India. Crown 8vo. Cloth, 6s.

BODDY, Alexander A.— To Kairwan the Holy. Scenes in
Muhammedan Africa. With Route Map, and Eight Illustrations
by A. F. Jacassey. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BOSANQUET, Bernard.— Knowledge and Reality. A Criticism
of Mr. F. H. Bradley's "Principles of Logic." Crown 8vo, gs.

BOUVERIE-PUSEY, S. E. B. — Permanence and Evolution.

An Inquiry into the Supposed Mutability of Animal Types.

Crown 8vo, $s.
BO WEN, H. C, M.A,— Studies in English. For the use of Modern

Schools. Ninth Thousand. Small crown 8vo, is. 6d.
English Grammar for Beginners. Fcap. 8vo, is.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 5

BO WEN, H. C, M.A.— continued.

Simple English Poems. English Literature for Junior Classes.
In four parts. Parts I., II., and III., 6d. each. Part IV., is.
Complete, 3-r.

BRADLEY, F. H— The Principles of Logic. Demy 8vo, 16s.

B RIDGE TT, Rev. T. ^.—History of the Holy Eucharist in
Great Britain. 2 vols. Demy 8vo, i8.y.

BROOKE, Rev. S. A.— The Fight of Faith. Sermons preached on
various occasions. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

The Spirit of the Christian Life. Third Edition. Crown
8vo, $s.

Theology in the English Poets.— Cowper, Coleridge, Words-
worth, and Burns. Sixth Edition. Post 8vo, 5^.

Christ in Modern Life. Sixteenth Edition. Crown 8vo, $s.

Sermons. First Series. Thirteenth Edition. Crown 8vo, $s.

Sermons. Second Series. Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo, $s.

BROWN, Horatio F.— Life on the Lagoons. With two Illustrations
and Map. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BROWN, Rev. J. Baldwin.— The Higher Life. Its Reality, Ex-
perience, and Destiny. Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo, 5-r.

Doctrine of Annihilation in the Light of the Gospel of
Love. Five Discourses. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

The Christian Policy of Life. A Book for Young Men of
Business. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 3*. 6d.

BURDETT, Henry C— Help in Sickness— 'Where to Go and
'What to Do. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

Helps to Health. The Habitation— The Nursery— The School-
room and — The Person. With a Chapter on Pleasure and Health
Resorts. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

BURKE, The Late Very Rev. T. A7".— His Life. By W. J. Fitz-
PATRICK. 2 vols. With Portrait. Demy 8vo, 30J.

BURTON, Lady.— The Inner Life of Syria, Palestine, and
the Holy Land. Post 8vo, 6*.

CAPES, J. i/.-The Church of the Apostles: an Historical
Inquiry. Demy 8vo, gs.

Carlyle and the Open Secret of His Life. By Henry Larkin.
Demy Svo, 14J.

CARPENTER, W. B., LL.D., M.D., F.R.S., etc.— The Principles
of Mental Physiology. With their Applications 1' to the
Training and Discipline of the Mind, and the Study of its Morbid
Conditions. Illustrated. Sixth Edition. 8vo, \2s.

A List of

Catholic Dictionary. Containing some Account of the Doctrine,
Discipline, Rites, Ceremonies, Councils, and Religious Orders ot
the Catholic Church. By William E. Addis and Thomas
Arnold, M.A. Third Edition. Demy 8vo, 21s.

Century Guild Hobby Horse. Vol. I. Half parchment, 12s. 6d.

CHARLES, Rev. R. H— Forgiveness, and other Sermons. Crown
8vo, 4s. 6d.

CHEYNE, Canon.— The Prophecies of Isaiah. Translated with
Critical Notes and Dissertations. 2 vols. Third Edition. Demy
8vo, 25s.

Job and Solomon ; or, the Wisdom of the Old Testament.
Demy 8vo, 12s. 6d.

Circulating Capital. Being an Inquiry into the Fundamental Laws
of Money. An Essay by an East India Merchant. Small crown
8vo, 6s.

CLAIR A UT. — Elements of Geometry. Translated by Dr.
Kaines. With 145 Figures. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

CLAPPER TOJV, Jane Hume. — Scientific Meliorism and the
Evolution of Happiness. Large crown 8vo, 8s. 6d.

CLARKE^ Rev. Henry James, A.K.C. — The Fundamental Science.
Demy 8vo, \os. 6d.

CLAYDEN, P. ^.—Samuel Sharpe. Egyptologist and Translator
of the Bible. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CLODD, Edward, E.R.A.S.—The Childhood of the World : a
Simple Account of Man in Early Times. Eighth Edition.
Crown 8vo, 3s.

A Special Edition for Schools. I*.

The Childhood of Religions. Including a Simple Account of
the Birth and Growth of Myths and Legends. Eighth Thousand.
Crown 8vo, 5^.

A Special Edition for Schools, is. 6d.

Jesus of Nazareth. With a brief sketch of Jewish History to the
Time of His Birth. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

COGHLAN, J. Cole, D.D.— The Modern Pharisee and other
Sermons. Edited by the Very Rev. H. H. Dickinson, D.D.,
Dean of Chapel Royal, Dublin. New and Cheaper Edition.
Crown 8vo, *]s. 6d.

COLE, George R. Fitz-Roy. — The Peruvians at Home. Crown
8vo, bs.

COLERIDGE, Sara.— Memoir and Letters of Sara Coleridge.

Edited by her Daughter. With Index. Cheap Edition. With
Portrait. 7s. 6d.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co!s Publications. 7

Collects Exemplified. Being Illustrations from the Old and New
Testaments of the Collects for the Sundays after Trinity. By the
Author of " A Commentary on the Epistles and Gospels." Edited
by the Rev. Joseph Jackson. Crown 8vo, $s.

CONNELL, A. ^—Discontent and Danger in India. Small
crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

The Economic Revolution of India. Crown 8vo, 4.?. 6d.

COOK, Keningale, LL.D.— The Fathers of Jesus. A Study of the
Lineage of the Christian Doctrine and Traditions. 2 vols. Demy
8vo, 28*.

CORY, William.— A Guide to Modern English History. Part I.
— MDCCCXV.-MDCCCXXX. Demy 8vo, ox Part II.—
MDCCCXXX.-MDCCCXXXV., 15*.

COTTERILL, H. B.—An Introduction to the Study of Poetry.
Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

COTTON, H. J. S.— New India, or India in Transition.
Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d. ; Cheap Edition, paper
covers, is.

COUTTS, Francis Burdett Money.— The Training of the Instinct
of Love. With a Preface by the Rev. Edward Thring, M.A.
Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

COX, Rev. Sir George W., M.A., Bart.— The Mythology of the
Aryan Nations. New Edition. Demy 8vo, 16s.

Tales of Ancient Greece. New Edition. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

A Manual of Mythology in the form of Question and
Answer. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 3-r.

An Introduction to the Science of Comparative Myth-
ology and Folk-Lore. Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.

COX, Rev. Sir G. W., M.A., Bart., and JONES, Etistace Hinlon.—
Popular Romances of the Middle Ages. Third
Edition, in I vol. Crown 8vo, 6s.

COX, Rev. Samuel, D.D. — A Commentary on the Book of Job.

With a Translation. Second Edition. Demy 8vo, 15^.

Salvator Mundi ; or, Is Christ the Saviour of all Men? Tenth
Edition. Crown 8vc, 5^.

The Larger Hope. A Sequel to "Salvator Mundi." Second
Edition. i6mo, is.

The Genesis of Evil, and other Sermons, mainly expository.
Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Balaam. An Exposition and a Study. Crown 8vo, $s.

Miracles. An Argument and a Challenge. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

CRA VENt Mrs.— A Year's Meditations. Crown 8vo, 6s.

A List of

CRAWFURD, Oswald.— Portugal, Old and New. With Illustra-
tions and Maps. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

CROZIER, John Beattie, M.B.—The Religion of the Future.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

CUNNINGHAM, W., B.D.— Politics and Economics ". An Essay
on the Nature of the Principles of Political Economy, together
with a survey of Recent Legislation. Crown 8vo, 5^.

DANIELL, Clarmont.—The Gold Treasure of India. An Inquiry
into its Amount, the Cause of its Accumulation, and the Proper
Means of using it as Money. Crown 8vo, 5^.

Discarded Silver : a Plan for its Use as Money. Small crown
8vo, 2S.

DANIEL, Gerard. Mary Stuart: a Sketch and a Defence.

Crown 8vo, $s.

DARMESTETER, Arsene.— The Life of Words as the Symbols
of Ideas. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

DAVIDSON, Rev. Samuel, D.D., LL.D.— Canon of the Bible;

Its Formation, History, and Fluctuations. Third and Revised
Edition. Small crown 8vo, 5-r.

The Doctrine of Last Things contained in the New Testa-
ment compared with the Notions of the Jews and the Statements
of Church Creeds. Small crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

DAWSON, Geo., M.A. Prayers, with a Discourse on Prayer.

Edited by his Wife. First Series. Ninth Edition. Crown
8vo, 3-r. 6d.

Prayers, with a Discourse on Prayer. Edited by George
St. Clair. Second Series. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Sermons on Disputed Points and Special Occasions.

Edited by his Wife. Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Sermons on Daily Life and Duty. Edited by his Wife.
Fourth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Authentic Gospel, and other Sermons. Edited by
George St. Clair, F.G.S. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Biographical Lectures. Edited by George St. Clair, F.G.S.
Second Edition. Large crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

DE JONCOURT, Madame Marie.— Wholesome Cookery. Fourth
Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, is. 6d; paper covers, is.

DENT, H. C— A Year in Brazil. With Notes on Religion, Meteor
ology, Natural History, etc. Maps and Illustrations. Demy
8vo, 18s.

DOUGLAS, Rev. Herman.— Into the Deep ; or, The Wonders of the
Lord's Person. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 9

DOWDEN, Edward, LL.D.-— Shakspere : a Critical Study of his
Mind and Art. Eighth Edition. Post 8vo, \2s.

Studies in Literature, 1789-1877. Third Edition. Large
post 8vo, 6s.

Dulce Domum, Fcap. 8vo, 5*.

DU MOJVCEL, Count.— The Telephone, the Microphone, and
the Phonograph. With 74 Illustrations. Third Edition.
Small crown 8vo, 5j.

DURUY, Victor.— History of Rome and the Roman People.
Edited by Prof. Mahaffy. With nearly 3000 Illustrations. 4to.
6 vols, in 12 parts, 30^. each vol.

Educational Code of the Prussian Nation, in its Present
Form. In accordance with the Decisions of the Common Pro-
vincial Law, and with those of Recent Legislation. Crown 8vo,
2s. 6d.

Education Library. Edited by Philip Magnus : —

An Introduction to the History of Educational
Theories. By Oscar Browning, M.A. Second Edition.
3*. 6d.

Old Greek Education. By the Rev. Prof. Mahaffy, M.A.
Second Edition. 3s. 6d.

School Management. Including a general view of the work
of Education, Organization and Discipline. By Joseph Landon.
Fifth Edition. 6s.

EDWARDES, Major-General Sir Herbert B — Memorials of his
Life and Letters. By his Wife. With Portrait and Illustra-
tions. 2 vols. Demy 8vo, 36.?.

ELSDALE, Henry.— Studies in Tennyson's Idylls. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Emerson's (Ralph "Waldo) Life. By Oliver Wendell Holmes.
English Copyright Edition. With Portrait. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Enoch the Prophet. The Book of. Archbishop Laurence's Trans-
lation, with an Introduction by the Author of ' ' The Evolution of
Christianity." Crown 8vo, $s.

Eranus. A Collection of Exercises in the Alcaic and Sapphic Metres.
Edited by F. W. Cornish, Assistant Master at Eton. Second
Editio». Crown 8vo, is.

"Fan Kwae" at Canton before Treaty Days 1825-1844.

By an old Resident. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, $s.

Five o'clock Tea. Containing Receipts for Cakes, Savoury Sand-
wiches, etc. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, is. 6d. ; paper covers, is.

FLOREDICE, W. H.—A Month among the Mere Irish. Small
crown 8vo. Second Edition. 3-r. 6d.

12 A List of

Hamilton, Memoirs of Arthur, B.A., of Trinity College, Cam-
bridge. Crown 8vo, 6s.

HARRIS, IVi/liam.—The History of the Radical Party in
Parliament. Demy 8vo, 1 5*.

HAWEIS, Rev. H. R., M.A.— Current Coin. Materialism— The
Devil — Crime — Drunkenness — Pauperism — Emotion — Recreation
—The Sabbath. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Arrows in the Air. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Speech in Season. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, $s.

Thoughts for the Times. Thirteenth Edition. Crown 8vo, 5*.

Unsectarian Family Prayers. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo,
is. 6d.

HA WTHORNE, Nathaniel— Works. Complete in Twelve Volumes.
Large post 8vo, 7s. 6d. each volume.

Vol. I. Twice-told Tales.

II. Mosses from an Old Manse.

III. The House of the Seven Gables, and The Snow

Image.

IV. The Wonderbook, Tanglewood Tales, and Grand-

father's Chair.
V. The Scarlet Letter, and The Blithedale Romance.
VI. The Marble Faun. [Transformation.]

vttt \ ^UR ^LD **0ME> AND English Note-Books.
IX. American Note-Books.
X. French and Italian Note-Books.
XI. Septimius Felton, The Dolliver Romance, Fanshawe,
and, in an Appendix, The Ancestral Footstep.
XII. Tales and Essays, and other Papers, with a Bio-
graphical Sketch of Hawthorne.

HEATH, Francis George.— Autumnal Leaves. Third and cheaper
Edition. Large crown 8vo, 6s.

Sylvan Winter. With 70 Illustrations. Large crown 8vo, 14J.

Hegel's Philosophy of Fine Art. The Introduction, translated by
Bernard Bosanquet. Crown 8vo, 5.?.

HENNESSY, Sir John Pope.— Ralegh in Ireland. With his Letters
on Irish Affairs and some Contemporary Documents. Large crown
8vo, printed on hand-made paper, parchment, \os. 6d.

HENRY, Philip.— Diaries and Letters of. Edited by Matthew
Henry Lee, M.A. Large crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

HINTON, J.— Life and Letters. With an Introduction by Sir W.
W. Gull, Bart., and Portrait engraved on Steel by C. H. Jeens.
Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, 8j. 6d.

Kegan Paid, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 13

HINTON, J.— continued.

Philosophy and Religion. Selections from the Manuscripts of
the late James Hinton. Edited by Caroline Haddon. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo, $s.

The Law Breaker, and The Coming of the Law.
Edited by Margaret Hinton. Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Mystery of Pain. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo, Ijr.

Hodson of Hodson's Horse ; or, Twelve Years of a Soldier's Life
in India. Being extracts from the Letters of the late Major
W. S. R. Hodson. With a Vindication from the Attack of Mr.
Bosworth Smith. Edited by his brother, G. H. Hodson, M.A.
Fourth Edition. Large crown 8vo, $s.

Homer's Iliad. Translated into English verse by J. G. Cordery.
2 vols. Demy 8vo, 24s.

HOOPER, Mary. — Little Dinners : How to Serve them with
Elegance and Economy. Twentieth Edition. Crown
8vo, is. 6d.

Cookery for Invalids, Persons of Delicate Digestion,
and Children. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

E very-Day Meals. Being Economical and Wholesome Recipes
for Breakfast, Luncheon, and Supper. Sixth Edition. Crown
8vo, 2s. 6d.

HOPKINS, Ellice. — Work amongst Working Men. Sixth
Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

HORN AD A Y, W. T.— Two Years in a Jungle. With Illustrations.
Demy 8vo, 21s.

HOSPITALIER, E.— The Modern Applications of Electricity.
Translated and Enlarged by Julius Maier, Ph.D. 2 vols.
Second Edition, Revised, with many additions and numerous
Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 12s. 6d. each volume.

Vol. I. — Electric Generators, Electric Light.
Vol. II. — Telephone : Various Applications : Electrical
Transmission of Energy.

HOWARD, Robert, M.A.—The Church of England and other
Religious Communions. A course of Lectures delivered in
the Parish Church of Clapham. Crown 8vo, *js. 6d.

HUMPHREY, Rev. William.- -The Bible and Belief. A Letter
to a Friend. Small Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Christian Marriage. Small crown 8vo, if. bd.

HUNTER, William C— Bits of Old China. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

14 A List of

HYNDMAN, H. M— The Historical Basis of Socialism in
England. Large crown 8vo, Ss. 6d.

IDDESLEIGH, Earl of.— Tide Pleasures, Dangers, and Uses
of Desultory Reading. Fcap. 8vo, in Whatman paper
cover, is.

IM THURN, Everard F.— Among the Indians of Guiana.

Being Sketches, chiefly anthropologic, from the Interior of British
Guiana. With 53 Illustrations and a Map. Demy 8vo, \%s.

JACCOUD, Prof. S.— The Curability and Treatment of Pul-
monary Phthisis. Translated and edited by Montagu
Lubbock, M.D. Demy 8vo, i^f.

Jaunt in a Junk ". A Ten Days' Cruise in Indian Seas. Large crown
8vo, 7 s. 6d.

JENKINS, E., and RAYMOND, J.— The Architect's Legal
Handbook. Third Edition, revised. Crown 8vo, 6s.

JENKINS, Rev. Canon R. C— Heraldry : English and Foreign.
With a Dictionary of Heraldic Terms and 156 Illustrations.
Small crown 8wp, 3s. 6d.

The Story of the Caraffa ; the Pontificate of Paul IV.

Small crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

JOEL, L.—A Consul's Manual and Shipowner's and Ship-
master's Practical Guide in their Transactions
Abroad. With Definitions of Nautical, Mercantile, and Legal
Terms ; a Glossary of Mercantile Terms in English, French,
German, Italian, and Spanish ; Tables of the Money, Weights,
and Measures of the Principal Commercial Nations and their
Equivalents in British Standards ; and Forms of Consular and
Notarial Acts. Demy 8vo, 125-.

JOHNSTON, H. &., F.Z.S.— The Kilima-njaro Expedition.
A Record of Scientific Exploration in Eastern Equatorial Africa,
and a General Description of the Natural History, Languages,
and Commerce of the Kilima-njaro District. With 6 Maps, and
over 80 Illustrations by the Author. Demy 8vo, 21s.

JORDAN, Fitmeanx, F.R.C.S.— Anatomy and Physiology in
Character. Crown 8vo, $s.

JOYCE, P. W., LL.D., etc.— Old Celtic Romances. Translated
from the Gaelic. Crown 8vo, *]s. 6d.

KAUFMANN, Rev. M., B.A.— Socialism : its Nature, its Dangers,
and its Remedies considered. Crown 8vo, *]s. 6d.

Utopias ; or, Schemes of Social Improvement, from Sir Thomas
More to Karl Marx. Crown 8vo, 5-f.

KAY, David, F.R.G.S. — Education and Educators. Crown 8vo,
7s. 6d.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 15

KAY, Joseph.— -Free Trade in Land. Edited by his Widow. With
Preface by the Right Hon. John Bright, M.P. Seventh
Edition. Crown 8vo, 5^.
%* Also a cheaper edition, without the Appendix, but with a Review
of Recent Changes in the Land Laws of England, by the Right
Hon. G. Osborne Morgan, Q.C., M.P. Cloth, is. 6d. ; paper
covers, is.

KELKE, W. H. H.—Kn Epitome of English Grammar for
the Use of Students. Adapted to the London Matriculation
Course and Similar Examinations. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.

KEMPIS, Thomas a.— Of the Imitation of Christ. Parchment
Library Edition. — Parchment or cloth, 6s. ; vellum, *js. 6d. The
Red Line Edition, fcap. 8vo, red edges, 2s. 6d. The Cabinet
Edition, small 8vo, cloth limp, is. ; cloth boards, red edges, is. 6d.
The Miniature Edition, red edges, 32mo, is,
%* All the above Editions may be had in various extra bindings.

Notes of a Visit to the Scenes in which his Life was
spent. With numerous Illustrations. By F. R. Cruise, M.D.
Demy 8vo.

KETTLE WELL, Rev. ^.-Thomas a Kempis and the Brothers
of Common Life. With Portrait. Second Edition. Crown
8vo, p. 6d.

KIDD, Joseph, M.D.—The Laws of Therapeutics ", or, the Science
and Art of Medicine. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

KINGSFORD, Anna, M.D.—The Perfect Way in Diet. A
Treatise advocating a Return to the Natural and Ancient Food of
our Race. Second Edition. Small crown 8vo, 2s.

KINGSLEY, Charles, M.A.— Letters and Memories of his Life.

Edited by his Wife. With two Steel Engraved Portraits, and
Vignettes on Wood. Fifteenth Cabinet Edition. 2 vols. Crown
8vo, 1 2 s.
%* Also a People's Edition, in one volume. With Portrait. Crown
8vo, 6s.

All Saints' Day, and other Sermons. Edited by the Rev. W.
Harrison. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

True Words for Brave Men. A Book for Soldiers' and
Sailors' Libraries. Fourteenth Thousand. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

KNOX, Alexander A. — The New Playground ; or, Wanderings in
Algeria. New and Cheaper Edition. Large crown 8vo, 6s.

Kosmos ; or, the Hope of the World. $s. 6d.

Land Concentration and Irresponsibility of Political Power,

as causing the Anomaly of a Widespread State of Want by the
Side of the Vast Supplies of Nature. Crown 8vo, $s.

A List of

LAND ON, Joseph.— School Management ; Including a General View
of the Work of Education, Organization, and Discipline. Fifth
Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

LA URIE, S. S.— The Rise and Early Constitution of Univer-
sities. With a Survey of Mediaeval Education. Crown 8vo, 6s.

LEE, Rev. E. G., D.C.L.— The Other World ", or, Glimpses of the
Supernatural. 2 vols. A New Edition. Crown 8vo, 15*.

LEEEVRE, G. Shaw.— Peel and O'Gonnell. Demy 8vo.

Letters from an Unknown Friend. By the Author of " Charles
Lowder." With a Preface by the Rev. W. H. Cleaver. Fcap.
8vo, is.

Life of a Prig. By One. Third Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 35-. 6d.

LLLLIE, Arthur, M.R.A.S.—The Popular Life of Buddha.

Containing an Answer to the Hibbert Lectures of 188 1. With
Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 6s,

Buddhism in Christendom ; or, Jesus the Essene. With
Illustrations. Demy 8vo, 15^.

LLOYD, Walter.— -The Hope of the World : An Essay on Universal
Redemption. Crown 8vo, 5-r.

LONGFELLOW, H. Wadszuorth.—lAie. By his Brother, Samuel
Longfellow. WTith Portraits and Illustrations. 2 vols. Demy
8vo, 28J.

LONSDALE, Margaret.— -Sister Dora : a Biography. With Portrait.
Cheap Edition. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

George Eliot : Thoughts upon her Life, her Books, and
Herself. Second Edition. Small crown 8vo, is. bd.

LOUNSBURY, Thomas R.— James Fenimore Cooper. With
Portrait. Crown 8vo, $s.

LOWDER, Charles.— A Biography. By the Author of " St. Teresa."
New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo. With Portrait. 3s. 6d.

LUCRES, Eva C. E. — Lectures on General Nursing, delivered to
the Probationers of the London Hospital Training School for
Nurses. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

LYALL, William Rowe, D.D.— Propaedeia Prophetica ; or, The
Use and Design of the Old Testament Examined. New Edition.
WTith Notices by George C. Pearson, M.A., Hon. Canon of
Canterbury. Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d.

LYTTON, Edward Bulwer, Lord.— Life, Letters and Literary
Remains. By his Son, the Earl of Lytton. With Portraits,
Illustrations and Facsimiles. Demy 8vo. Vols. I. and II., 32s.

MACAULAY, G. C— Francis Beaumont : A Critical Study. Crown
8vo, $s.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co's Publications. iy

MAC CALLUM, M W.— Studies in Low German and High
German Literature. Crown 8vo, 6s.

MACHIAVELLI, Nzccold. — l*ife and Times. By Prof. Villari.
Translated by Linda Villari. 4 vols. Large post 8vo, 48J.

Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius. Trans-
lated from the Italian by Ninian Hill Thomson, M.A. Large
crown 8vo, 12s.

The Prince. Translated from the Italian by N. H. T. Small
crown 8vo, printed on hand-made paper, bevelled boards, 6s.

MACKENZIE, Alexander. — How India is Governed. Being an
Account of England's Work in India. Small crown 8vo, 2s.

MACNEILL, J. G. Aw/A-How the Union was carried.
Crown 8vo, cloth, is. 6d. ; paper covers, is.

MA GNUS, Lady.— About the Jews since Bible Times. From the
Babylonian Exile till the English Exodus. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

MAGUIRE, Thomas. — Lectures on Philosophy. Demy 8vo, gs.

MAIR, R. S.s M.D., E.R.C.S.E.— The Medical Guide for Anglo-
Indians. Being a Compendium of Advice to Europeans in
India, relating to the Preservation and Regulation of Health.
With a Supplement on the Management of Children in India,
Second Edition. Crown 8vb, limp cloth, 3s. 6d.

Many Voices. A volume of Extracts from the Religious Writers of
Christendom from the First to the Sixteenth Century. With
Biographical Sketches. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, red edges, 6s.

MARKHAM, Capt. Albert Hastings, R. N. —The Great Frozen Sea :
A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the Alert during the Arctic
Expedition of 1875-6. With 6 Full-page Illustrations, 2 Maps,
and 27 Woodcuts. Sixth and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

MARTINEAU, Gertrude.— Outline Lessons on Morals. Small

crown 8vo, 2s- 6d.
MASON, Charlotte M-Home Education ; a Course of Lectures to

Ladies. Crown 8vo, 2>s- &d.

MAUDSLEY, H, M.D.—Body and Will. Being an Essay con-
cerning Will, in its Metaphysical, Physiological, and Pathological
Aspects. 8vo, I2.r.

Natural Causes and Supernatural Seemings. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

McGRATH, Terence.— Pictures from Ireland. New and Cheaper
Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s.

MEREDITH, M.A.— Theotokos, the Example for Woman.
Dedicated, by permission, to Lady Agnes Wood. Revised by
the Venerable Archdeacon Denison. 32mo, limp cloth, is. 6d.

c

1 8 A List of

MILLER, Edward.— The History and Doctrines of Irvingism ;
or, The so-called Catholic and Apostolic Church. 2 vols. Large
post 8vo, i$s.
The Church in Relation to the State. Large crown 8vo; 4s.

MILLS, Herbert. — Poverty and the State ", or, Work for the Un-
employed. An Inquiry into the Causes and Extent of Enforced
Idleness, with a Statement of a Remedy. Crown 8vo, 6s.

MITCHELL, Lucy M.—K History of Ancient Sculpture. With
numerous Illustrations, including 6 Plates in Phototype. Super-
royal 8vo, 42s.

MOCKLER, E.—A Grammar of the Baloochee Language, as

it is spoken in Makran (Ancient Gedrosia), in the Persia- Arabic
and Roman characters. Fcap. 8vo, $s.

MOHL, Julius and Mary.— ^Letters and Recollections of. By
Mrs. Simpson. With Portraits and Two Illustrations. Demy
8vo, 15*

MOLES WORTH, Rev. W. Nassau, M.A.— History of the Church
of England from 1660. Large crown 8vo, 7s. 6d.

MORELL, J. R — Euclid Simplified in Method and Language.
Being a Manual of Geometry. Compiled from the most important
French Works, approved by the University of Paris and the
Minister of Public Instruction. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d.

MORGAN, C. Lloyd.— The Springs of Conduct. An Essay in
Evolution. Large crown 8vo, cloth, p. 6d.

MORISON, 7. Cotter. —The Service of Man ". an Essay towards the
Religion of the Future. Demy 8vo, ioj. 6d.

MORSE, E. S., Ph.D.— First Book of Zoology. With numerous
Illustrations. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

NELSON, J. H, M.A.—A Prospectus of the Scientific Study
of the Hmdu Law. Demy 8vo, 9*.
Indian Usage and Judge-made Law in Madras. Demy
8vo.
NEWMAN, Cardinal.— Characteristics from the Writings of.
Being Selections from his various Works. Arranged with the
Author's personal Approval. Seventh Edition. With Portrait.
Crown 8vo, 6s.
*./ A Portrait of Cardinal Newman, mounted for framing, can
be had, 2s. 6d.

NEWMAN, Francis William.— Essays on Diet. Small crown Svo,

cloth limp, 2S.
New Social Teachings. By Politicus. Small crown 8vo, 5*.
New Truth and the Old Faith : Are they Incompatible ? By a

Scientific Layman. Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 19

NICOLS, Arthur, F.G.S., F.R. G. S.— Chapters from the Physical
History of the Earth : an Introduction to Geology and
Palaeontology. With numerous Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 5.?.

NIHILL, Rev. H. D— Sisters of the Poor and their Work.
Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

NOEL, The Hon. Roden. — Essays on Poetry and Poets. Demy
8vo, 12s.

NOPS, Marianne. — Class Lessons on Euclid. Part I. containing
the First Two Books of the Elements. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Nuces : Exercises on the Syntax of the Public School Latin
Primer. New Edition in Three Parts. Crown 8vo, each is.
*** The Three Parts can also be had bound together, $r.

OATES, Frank, F.R.G.S.—WLaXahQle Land and the Victoria
Falls. A Naturalist's Wanderings in the Interior of South
Africa. Edited by C. G. Oates, B.A. With numerous Illustra-
tions and 4 Maps. Demy 8vo, 2ls.

O'BRIEN, R. Barry.— Irish Essays. Crown 8vo, Jf.

OGLE, Anna C. — A Lost Love. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

OGLE, W., M.D., F.R.C.P.— Aristotle on the Parts of Animals.

Translated, Avith Introduction and Notes. Royal 8vo, 12s. 6d.

O'MEARA, Kathleen. — Frederic Ozanam, Professor of the Sorbonne :
His Life and Work. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, *js. 6d.

Henri Perreyve and his Counsels to the Sick. Small
crown 8vo, jr.

One and a Half in Norway. A Chronicle of Small Beer. By
Either and Both. Small crown 8vo, 3-r. 6d.

OP NEIL, the late Rev. Lord. — Sermons. With Memoir and Portrait.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

Essays and Addresses. Crown 8vo, $s.

OTTLEY, H. Bichersleth.—The Great Dilemma. Christ His Own
Witness or His Own Accuser. Six Lectures. Second Edition.
Crown 8vo, 3.?. 6d.

Our Public Schools — Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Rugby,
"Westminster, Marlborough, The Charterhouse;
Crown 8vo, 6s.

OWEN, F. M.— John Keats : a Study. Crown 8vo, 6j.
Across the Hills. Small crown 8vo, is. 6d.

A List of

OWEN, Rev. Robert, B.D.— Sanctorale Catholicum ; or, Book of
Saints. With Notes, Critical, Exegetical, and Historical. Demy
8vo, iSj.

PALMER, the late William.— Notes of a Visit to Russia in
1840-1841. Selected and arranged by John H. Cardinal
Newman, with Portrait. Crown 8vo, 8s. 6d.

Early Christian Symbolism. A Series of Compositions from
Fresco Paintings, Glasses, and Sculptured Sarcophagi. Edited
by the Rev. Provost Northcote, D.D., and the Rev. Canon
Brown low, M.A. With Coloured Plates, folio, 42s., or with
Plain Plates, folio, 2$s.

Parchment Library. Choicely Printed on hand-made paper, limp
parchment antique or cloth, 6s. ; vellum, Js. 6d. each volume.

The Poetical Works of John Milton. 2 vols.

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Letters and Journals of Jonathan Swift. Selected and
edited, with a Commentary and Notes, by Stanley Lane Poole.

De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater.

Reprinted from the First Edition. Edited by Richard Garnett.

The Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Selections from the Prose Writings of Jonathan Swift.

With a Preface and Notes by Stanley Lane-Poole and

Portrait.

English Sacred Lyrics.

Sir Joshua Reynolds's Discourses. Edited by Edmund
Gosse.

Selections from Milton's Prose Writings. Edited by
Ernest Myers.

The Book of Psalms. Translated by the Rev. T. K. Cheyne,

M.A.
The Vicar of Wakefield. With Preface and Notes by Austin

Dobson.

English Comic Dramatists. Edited by Oswald Crawfurd.

English Lyrics.

The Sonnets of John Milton. Edited by Mark Pattison.
With Portrait after Vertue.

French Lyrics. Selected and Annotated by George Saints-
bury. With a Miniature Frontispiece designed and etched by
H. G. Glindoni.

Fables by Mr. John Gay. With Memoir by Austin Dobson,
and an Etched Portrait from an unfinished Oil Sketch by Sir
Godfrey Kneller.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 21

Parchment Library — continued.

Select Letters of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Edited, with an
Introduction, by Richard Garnett.

The Christian Year. Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and
Holy Days throughout the Year. With Miniature Portrait of the
Rev. J. Keble, after a Drawing by G. Richmond, R.A.

Shakspere's Works. Complete in Twelve Volumes.

Eighteenth Century Essays. Selected and Edited by Austin
Dobson. With a Miniature Frontispiece by R. Caldecott.

Q. Horati Flacci Opera. Edited by F. A. Cornish, Assistant
Master at Eton. With a Frontispiece after a design by L. Alma
Tadema, etched by Leopold Lowenstam.

Edgar Allan Poe's Poems. With an Essay on his Poetry by
Andrew Lang, and a Frontispiece by Linley Sambourne.

Shakspere's Sonnets. Edited by Edward Dowden. With a
Frontispiece etched by Leopold Lowenstam, after the Death
Mask. »

English Odes. Selected by Edmund Gosse. With Frontis*
piece on India paper by Hamo Thorny croft, A. R.A.

Of the Imitation of Christ. By Thomas a Kempis. A
revised Translation. With Frontispiece on India paper, from a
Design by W. B. Richmond.

Poems : Selected from Percy Bysshe Shelley. Dedicated to
Lady Shelley. With a Preface by Richard Garnett and a
Miniature Frontispiece.

Parochial Parleys on the Athanasian Creed, etc. Edited by
Y. Z. Crown 8vo, 6s.

PARSLOE, Joseph.— Out Railways. Sketches, Historical and
Descriptive. With Practical Information as to Fares and Rates,
etc., and a Chapter on Railway Reform. Crown 8vo, 6s.

PASCAL, Blaise.— The Thoughts of. Translated from the Text of
Auguste Molinier, by C. Kegan Paul. Large crown 8vo, with
Frontispiece, printed on hand -made paper, parchment antique, or
cloth, 12s. ; vellum, 15^.

PAUL, Alexander. — Short Parliaments. A History of the National
Demand for frequent General Elections. Small crown 8vo, 3J. 6d.

PAUL, C. Kegan. — Biographical Sketches. Printed on hand-made
paper, bound in buckram. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

PEARSON, Rev. iS".— Week-day Living. A Book for Young Men
and Women. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 5*.

PENRLCE, Major J— Arabic and English Dictionary of the
Koran. 4to, 21s.

22 A List of

PESCHEL, Dr. Oscar.— The Races of Man and their Geo-
graphical Distribution. Second Edition. Large crown
8vo, gs.
PHIPSON, E.— The Animal Lore of Shakspeare's Time.
Including Quadrupeds, Birds, Reptiles, Fish and Insects. Large
post 8vo, gs.
PIDGEOA7, D.— An Engineer's Holiday ", or. Notes of a Round
Trip from Long. o° to o°. New and Cheaper Edition. Large
crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

Old World Questions and New "World Answers. Second
Edition. Large crown 8vo, 7.?. 6d.
Plain Thoughts for Men. Eight Lectures delivered at Forester's
Hall, Clerkenwell, during the London Mission, 1884. Crown
8vo, cloth, is. 6d ; paper covers, is.
PRICE, Prof. Bonamy. — Chapters on Practical Political
Economy. Being the Substance of Lectures delivered before
the University of Oxford. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown
8vo, 5^.
Prig's Bede ; the Venerable Bede, Expurgated, Expounded, and Ex-
posed. By The Prig. Fcap. 8vo, 3-r. 6d.
Pulpit Commentary, The. (Old Testament Series.) Edited by the
Rev. J. S. Exell, M.A., and the Very Rev. H. D. M. Spence,
M.A., DD.

Genesis. By the Rev. T. Whitelaw, M.A. With Homilies by
the Very Rev. J. F. Montgomery, D.D., Rev. Prof. R. A.
Redford, M.A., LL.B., Rev. F. Hastings, Rev. W.
Roberts, M.A. An Introduction to the Study of the Old
Testament by the Venerable Archdeacon Farrar, D.D., F.R.S. ;
and Introductions to the Pentateuch by the Right Rev. H. Cot-
terill, D.D., and Rev. T. Whitelaw, M.A. Eighth Edition.
1 vol., 1 5 s.

Exodus. By the Rev. Canon Rawlinson. With Homilies by
Rev. J. Orr, Rev. D. Young, B.A., Rev. C. A. Goodhart,
Rev. J. Urquhart, and the Rev. H. T. Robjohns. Fourth
Edition. 2 vols., iSs.

Leviticus. By the Rev. Prebendary Meyrick, M.A. With
Introductions by the Rev. R. Collins, Rev. Professor A. Cave,
and Homilies by Rev. Prof. Redford, LL.B., Rev. J. A.
Macdonald, Rev. W. Clarkson, B.A., Rev. S. R. Aldridge,
LL.B., and Rev. McCheyne Edgar. Fourth Edition. i$s.

Numbers. By the Rev. R. Winterbotham, LL.B. With
Homilies by the Rev. Professor W. Binnie, D.D., Rev. E. S.
Prout, M.A., Rev. D. Young, Rev. J. Waite, and an Intro-
duction by the Rev. Thomas Whitelaw, M.A. Fifth
Edition. 155-.

Deuteronomy. By the Rev. W. L. Alexander, D.D. With
Homilies by Rev. C. Clemance, D.D., Rev. J. Orr, B.D.,
Rev. R. M. EDGAR, M.A., Rev. D. Davies, M.A. Fourth
edition. 15.?.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 23

Pulpit Commentary, The — continued.

Joshua. By Rev. J. J. Lias, M.A. With Homilies by Rev.
S. R. Aldridge, LL.B., Rev. R. Glover, Rev. E. de
Pressense, D.D., Rev. J. Waite, B.A., Rev. W. F. Adeney,
M.A. ; and an Introduction by the Rev. A. Plummer, M.A.
Fifth Edition. 12s. 6d.

Judges and Ruth. By the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and
Rev. J. Morison, D.D. With Homilies by Rev. A. F. Muir,
M.A.,* Rev. W. F. Adeney, M.A., Rev. W. M. Statham, and
Rev. Professor J. Thomson, M.A. Fifth Edition. 10s. 6d.

1 Samuel. By the Very Rev. R. P. Smith, D.D. With Homilies
by Rev. Donald Fraser, D.D., Rev. Prof. Chapman, and
Rev. B. Dale. Sixth Edition. 15s.

1 Kings. By the Rev. Joseph Hammond, LL.B. With Homilies
by the Rev. E. de Pressense, D.D., Rev. J. Waite, B.A.,
Rev. A. Rowland, LL.B., Rev. J. A. Macdonald, and Rev.
J. Urquhart. Fourth Edition. 15^.

1 Chronicles. By the Rev. Prof. P. C. Barker, M.A., LL.B.
With Homilies by Rev. Prof. J. R. Thomson, M.A., Rev. R.
Tuck, B.A., Rev. W. Clarkson, B.A., Rev. F. Whitfield,
M.A., and Rev. Richard Glover. i$s.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. By Rev. Canon G. Rawlinson,
M.A. With Homilies by Rev. Prof. J. R. Thomson, M.A., Rev.
Prof. R. A. Redford, LL.B., M.A., Rev. W. S. Lewis, M.A.,
Rev. J. A. Macdonald, Rev. A. Mackennal, B.A., Rev. W.
Clarkson, B.A., Rev. F. Hastings, Rev. W. Dinwiddie,
LL.B., Rev. Prof. Rowlands, B.A., Rev. G. Wood, B.A.,
Rev. Prof. P. C. Barker, M.A., LL.B., and the Rev. J. S.
Exell, M.A. Sixth Edition. 1 vol., 12s. 6d.

Isaiah. By the Rev. Canon G. Rawlinson, M.A. With Homilies
by Rev. Prof. E. Johnson, M.A., Rev. W. Clarkson, B.A.,
Rev. W. M. Statham, and Rev. R. Tuck, B.A. 2 vols.,
I5-5-. each.
Jeremiah. (Vol. I.) By the Rev. T. K. Cheyne, M.A. With
Homilies by the Rev. W. F. Adeney, M.A., Rev. A. F. Muir,
M.A., Rev. S. Conway, B.A., Rev. J. Waite, B.A., and Rev.
D. Young, B.A. Second Edition. 15s.

Jeremiah (Vol. II.) and Lamentations. By Rev. T. K.
Cheyne, M.A. With Homilies by Rev. Prof. J. R. Thomson,
M.A., Rev. W. F. Adeney, M.A., Rev. A. F. Muir, M.A.,
Rev. S. Conway, B.A., Rev. D. Young, B.A. i$s.

Pulpit Commentary, The. (New Testament Series.)

St. Mark. By Very Rev. E. Bickersteth, D.D., Dean of Lich-
field. With Homilies by Rev. Prof. Thomson, M.A., Rev. Prof.
Given, M.A., Rev. Prof. Johnson, M.A., Rev. A. Rowland,
B.A., LL.B., Rev. A. Muir, and Rev. R. Green. Fifth
Edition. 2 vols., 21s.

24 A List of

Pulpit Commentary, The. (New Testament Series.)— continued.

The Acts of the Apostles. By the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

With Homilies by Rev. Prof. P. C. Barker, M.A., LL.B., Rev.

Prof. E. Johnson, M.A., Rev. Prof. R. A. Redford, M.A.,

Rev. R. Tuck, B.A., Rev. W. Clarkson, B.A. Third Edition.

2 Vols., 2 1 J.

I.Corinthians. By the Ven. Archdeacon Farrar, D.D. With
Homilies by Rev. Ex-Chancellor Lipscomb, LL.D., Rev.
David Thomas, D.D., Rev. D. Fraser, D.D., Rev. Prof.
J. R. Thomson, M.A., Rev. J. Waite, B.A., Rev. R. Tuck,
B.A., Rev. E. Hurndall, M.A., and Rev. H. Bremner, B.D.
Third Edition. Price l$s.

II. Corinthians and Galatians. By the Ven. Archdeacon
Farrar, D.D., and Rev. Preb. E. Huxtable. With Homilies
by Rev. Ex-Chancellor Lipscomb, LL.D., Rev. David Thomas,
D.D., Rev. Donald Fraser, D.D., Rev. R. Tuck, B.A., Rev.
E. Hurndall, M.A., Rev. Prof. J. R. Thomson, M.A., Rev.
R. Finlayson, B.A., Rev. W. F. Adeney, M.A., Rev. R. M.
Edgar, M.A., and Rev. T. Croskerry, D.D. Price 21 s.

Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. By the Rev. Prof.
W. G. Blaikie, D.D., Rev. B. C. Caffin, M.A., and Rev. G.
G. Findlay, B.A. With Homilies by Rev. D. Thomas, D.D.,
Rev. R. M. Edgar, M.A., Rev. R. Finlayson, B.A., Rev.
W. F. Adeney, M.A., Rev. Prof. T. Croskerry, D.D., Rev.
E. S. Prout, M.A., Rev. Canon Vernon Hutton, and
Rev. U. R. Thomas, D.D. Second Edition. Price 21*.

Hebrews and James. By the Rev. J. Barmby, D.D., and Rev.
Prebendary E. C. S. Gibson, M.A. With Homiletics by the
Rev. C. Jerdan, M.A., LL.B., and Rev. Prebendary E. C. S.
Gibson. And Homilies by the Rev. W. Jones, Rev. C. New,
Rev. D. Young, B.A., Rev. J. S. Bright, Rev. T. F. Lockyer,
B.A., and Rev. C. Jerdan, M.A., LL.B. Price i$s.

PUNCHARD, E. G.y D.D.— Christ of Contention. Three Essays.
Fcap. 8vo, 2s.

PUSEYy Dr.— Sermons for the Church's Seasons from
Advent to Trinity. Selected from the Published Sermons
of the late Edward Bouverie Pusey, D.D. Crown 8vo, 5j.

RANKE, Leopold von. — Universal History. The oldest Historical
Group of Nations and the Greeks. Edited by G. W. Prothero.
Demy 8vo, i6s.

REND ELL, J. AT.— Concise Handbook of the Island of
Madeira. With Plan of Funchal and Map of the Island. Fcap.
8vo, is. 6d.

REYNOLDS, Rev. y. W.— The Supernatural in Nature. A
Verification by Free Use of Science. Third Edition, Revised
and Enlarged. Demy 8vo, 1 4*.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 25

REYNOLDS, Rev. J. W.— continued.

The Mystery of Miracles. Third and Enlarged Edition.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

The Mystery of the Universe ; Our Common Faith. Demy
8vo, 14s.
RIBO T, Prof. Th — Heredity : A Psychological Study on its Phenomena,
its Laws, its Causes, and its Consequences. Second Edition.
Large crown 8vo, gs.
ROBERTSON, The late Rev. F. IV., M. A. —Life and Letters of.
Edited by the Rev. Stopford Brooke, M.A.

I. Two vols., uniform with the Sermons. With Steel Portrait,
Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.
II. Library Edition, in Demy 8vo, with Portrait. 12s.
III. A Popular Edition, in I vol. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Sermons. Four Series. Small crown 8vo, 3^. 6d. each.

The Human Race, and other Sermons. Preached at Chelten-
ham, Oxford, and Brighton. New and Cheaper Edition. Small
crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

Notes on Genesis. New and Cheaper Edition. Small crown 8vo,
3s. 6d.

Expository Lectures on St. Paul's Epistles to the
Corinthians. A New Edition. Small crown 8vo, 5.?.

Lectures and Addresses, with other Literary Remains. A New
Edition. Small crown 8vo, 5-y.

An Analysis of Tennyson's " In Memoriam." (Dedicated
by Permission to the Poet-Laureate.) Fcap. 8vo, 2s.

The Education of the Human Race. Translated from the
German of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d.

The above Works can also be had, bound in half morocco.
%* A Portrait of the late Rev. F. W. Robertson, mounted for framing,
can be had, 2s. 6d.

ROMANES, G. J. — Mental Evolution in Animals. With a
Posthumous Essay on Instinct by Charles Darwin, F.R.S.
Demy 8vo, \2s.

ROOSEVELT, Theodore. Hunting Trips of a Ranchman.
Sketches of Sport on the Northern Cattle Plains. With 26
Illustrations. Royal 8vo, iSs.

ROSMINI SERB ATI, Antonio.— Life. By the Rev. W. Lockhart.
Second Edition. 2 vols. With Portraits. Crown 8vo, \2s.

Rosmini's Origin of Ideas. Translated from the Fifth Italian
Edition of the Nuovo Saggio SulP origine delle idee. 3 vols.
Demy 8vo, cloth, ior. 6d. each.

Rosmini's Psychology. 3 vols. Demy 8vo. [Vols. I. and II. now
ready, 10s. 6d, each.

26 A List of

ROSS, Mrs.— Italian Sketches. With Fourteen full-page Illustra-
tions. Crown 8vo.

RULE, Martin, Af.A. — The Life and Times of St. Anselm,
Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the
Britains. 2 vols. Demy 8vo, 32J.

SAMUELL, Richard.— Seven, the Sacred Number : Its use in
Scripture and its Application to Biblical Criticism. Crown 8vo,
10s. 6d.

SAYCE, Rev. Archibald Henry. — Introduction to the Science of
Language. 2 vols. Second Edition. Large post 8vo, 21s.

SCOONES, W. Baptiste.—Fowv Centuries of English Letters:
A Selection of 350 Letters by 150 Writers, from the Period of the
Paston Letters to the Present Time. Third Edition. Large
crown 8vo, 6s.

SEE, Prof. Germain. — Bacillary Phthisis of the Lungs. Trans-
lated and edited for English Practitioners by William Henry
Weddell, M.R.C.S. Demy 8vo, 10s. 6d.

Shakspere's Works. The Avon Edition, 12 vols., fcap. 8vo, cloth,
i8.r. ; in cloth box, 21s. ; bound in 6 vols., cloth, 15^.

SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe. — Life. By Edward Dowden, LL.D.
2 vols. With Portraits. Demy 8vo, 36^.

SHILLITO, Rev. Joseph. — Womanhood : its Duties, Temptations,
and Privileges. A Book for Young Women. Third Edition.
Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

Sister Augustine, Superior of the Sisters of Charity at the St.
Johannis Hospital at Bonn. Authorised Translation by Hans
Tharau, from the German "Memorials of Amalie von
Lasaulx." Cheap Edition. Large crown 8vo, 45-. 6d.

SKINNER, James.— A Memoir. By the Author of < ' Charles Lowder. "
With a Preface by the Rev. Canon Carter, and Portrait.
Large crown, Js. 6d.
*** Also a cheap Edition. With Portrait. Crown Svo, 3s. 6d.

SMEATON, D. Mackenzie.— -The Loyal Karens of Burmah.
Crown Svo, 4s. 6d.

SMITH, Edward, M.D., LL.B., F. R.S.— Tubercular Consump-
tion in its Early and Remediable Stages. Second
Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

SMITH, Sir W. Ctisack, Bart.—Ow? War Ships. A Naval Essay.
Crown 8vo, $s.

Spanish Mystics. By the Editor of " Many Voices." Crown 8vo, $s.

Specimens of English Prose Style from Malory to Ma-
caul ay. Selected and Annotated, with an Introductory Essay,
by George Saintsbury. Large crown 8vo, printed on hand-
made paper, parchment antique or cloth, 12s. ; vellum, 15^.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co!s Publications. 27

SPEDDING, James. — Reviews and Discussions, Literary,
Political, and Historical not relating to Bacon. Demy
8vo, I2J. 6d.

Evenings with a Reviewer ; or, Macaulay and Bacon.
With a Prefatory Notice by G. S. Venables, Q.C. 2 vols.
Demy 8vo, 18s.

STAFFER, Paul. — Shakespeare and Classical Antiquity:
Greek and Latin Antiquity as presented in Shakespeare's Plays.
Translated by Emily J. Carey. Large post 8vo, 12s.

STATHAM, F. Reginald.— Free Thought and True Thought.

A Contribution to an Existing Argument. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Stray Papers on Education, and Scenes from School Life. By B. H.
Second Edition. Small crown 8vo, 3.?. 6d.

STREATFE1LD, Rev. G. S.,M.A.— Lincolnshire and the Danes.
Large crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

STRECKER- WISLICENUS.— Organic Chemistry. Translated and
Edited, with Extensive Additions, by W. R. Hodgkinson,
Ph.D., and A. J. Greenaway, F.I.C. Second and cheaper
Edition. Demy 8vo, \2s. 6d.

Suakin, 1885 ; being a Sketch of the Campaign of this year. By an
Officer who was there. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

SULLY, James, M.A.— Pessimism : a History and a Criticism.
Second Edition. Demy 8vo, 14-r.

Sunshine and Sea. A Yachting Visit to the Channel Islands and
Coast of Brittany. With Frontispiece from a Photograph and 24
Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 6s.

SWEDENBORG, Eman.—De Cultu et A more Dei ubi Agitur
de Telluris ortu, Paradiso et Vivario, turn de Pri-
mogeniti Seu Adami Nativitate Infantia, et Amore.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

On the Worship and Love of God. Treating of the Birth
of the Earth, Paradise, and the Abode of Living Creatures.
Translated from the original Latin. Crown 8vo, 7-y. 6d.

Prodromus Philosophic Ratiocinantis de Inflnito,
et Causa Finali Creationis : deque Mechanismo Opera-
tions Animae et Corporis. Edidit Thomas Murray Gorman,
M. A. Crown 8vo, ?s. 6d.

TACITUS.— The Agricola. A Translation. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

TARRING, C. J— A Practical Elementary Turkish Grammar.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

TA YLOR, Rev. Isaac— The Alphabet. An Account of the Origin
and Development of Letters. With numerous Tables and
Facsimiles. 2 vols. Demy 8vo, 36^.

28 A List of

TAYLOR, Jeremy.— The Marriage Ring. With Preface, Notes,
and Appendices. Edited by Francis Burdett Money Coutts.
Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

TAYLOR, Sedley. — Profit Sharing between Capital and
Labour. To which is added a Memorandum on the Industrial
Partnership at the Whitwood Collieries, by Archibald and
Henry Briggs, with remarks by Sedley Taylor. Crown 8vo,
2s. 6d.

"They Might Have Been Together Till the Last." An

Essay on Marriage, and the position of Women in England.
Small crown 8vo, 2s.

THOM, J. Hamilton.— "Laws of Life after the Mind of Christ,
Two Series. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d. each.

THOMPSON, Sir #.— Diet in Relation to Age and Activity.
Fcap. 8vo, cloth, is. 6d. ; paper covers, is.

TIDMAN, Paul i^Money and Labour, it. 6d.

TLPPLE, Rev. S. A.— Sunday Mornings at Norwood. Prayers
and Sermons. Crown 8vo, 6s.

TODHUNTER, Dr. J.—K Study of Shelley. Crown 8vo, *jt.

TOLSTOL, Count Leo.— Christ's Christianity. Translated from the
Russian. Large crown 8vo, "ft. 6d. .

TRANT, William.— -Trade Unions ", Their Origin, Objects, and
Efficacy. Small crown 8vo, Is. 6d. ; paper covers, is.

TREMENHEERE, Hugh Seymour, C.B.— A Manual of the
Principles of Government, as set forth by the Authorities
of Ancient and Modern Times. New and Enlarged Edition.
Crown 8vo, 3*. 6d. Cheap Edition, limp cloth, is.

TRENCH, The late R. C, Archbishop.— Notes on the Parables of
Our Lord. Fourteenth Edition. 8vo, 12s. Cheap Edition,
Js. 6d.
Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord. Twelfth Edition.
8vo, 12s. Cheap Edition, Js. 6d.

Studies in the Gospels. Fifth Edition, Revised. 8vo, ior. 6d.

Brief Thoughts and Meditations on Some Passages in
Holy Scripture. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 33-. 6d.

Synonyms of the New Testament. Ninth Edition, En-

larged. 8vo, 12s.
Sermons Old and New. Crown 8vo, 6s.

On the Authorized Version of the New Testament.
Second Edition. 8vo, Js.

Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in
Asia. Fourth Edition, Revised. 8vo, 8s. 6d,

Kegan Paul, Trench & Cols Publications. 29

TRENCH, The late R. C, Archbishop.— continued.

The Sermon on the Mount. An Exposition drawn from the
Writings of St. Augustine, with an Essay on his Merits as an
Interpreter of Holy Scripture. Fourth Edition, Enlarged. 8vo,
10 j. 6d.

Shipwrecks of Faith. Three Sermons preached before the
University of Cambridge in May, 1867. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Lectures on Mediaeval Church History. Being the Sub-
stance of Lectures delivered at Queen's College, London. Second
Edition. 8vo, 12s.

English, Past and Present. Thirteenth Edition, Revised and
Improved. Fcap. 8vo, $s.

On the Study of Words. Nineteenth Edition, Revised.
Fcap. 8vo, $s.

.Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in
Senses Different from the Present. Fifth Edition,
Revised and Enlarged. Fcap. 8vo, $s.

Proverbs and Their Lessons. Seventh Edition, Enlarged.
Fcap. 8vo, 4s.

Poems. Collected and Arranged anew. Ninth Edition. Fcap.
8vo, Js. 6d.

Poems. Library Edition. 2 vols. Small crown 8vo, 10s.

Sacred Latin Poetry. Chiefly Lyrical, Selected and Arranged
for Use. Third Edition, Corrected and Improved. Fcap. 8vo, 7s.

A Household Book of English Poetry. Selected and
Arranged, with Notes. Fourth Edition, Revised. Extra fcap.
8vo, 5-y. 6d.

An Essay on the Life and Genius of Calderon. With
Translations from his " Life's a Dream" and " Great Theatre of
the World." Second Edition, Revised and Improved. Extra
fcap. 8vo, 5-f. 6d.

Gustavus Adolphus in Germany, and other Lectures
on the Thirty Years' War. Third Edition, Enlarged.
Fcap. 8vo, 4s.

Plutarch : his Life, his Lives, and his Morals. Second
Edition, Enlarged. Fcap. 8vo, 3.?. 6d.

Remains of the late Mrs. Richard Trench. Being Selec-
tions from her Journals, Letters, and other Papers. New and
Cheaper Issue. With Portrait. 8vo, 6s.

TUKE, Daniel Hack, M.D., F.R.C.P.— Chapters in the History
of the Insane in the British Isles. With Four Illustra-
tions. Large crown 8vo, 12s.

30 A List of

TWINING, Louisa.— Workhouse Visiting and Management
during Twenty-Five Years. Small crown 8vo, 2s.

TYLER, J.— The Mystery of Being: or, What Do We
Know ? Small crown 8vo, 3-y. 6d.

VAUGHAN, H. Halford.—TSL&w Readings and Renderings of
Shakespeare's Tragedies. 3 vols. Demy 8vo, 12s. 6d. each.

VICAR Y, J. Eulford.—S&gEL Time. With Illustrations. Crown 8vo,
7-y. 6d.

VILLIERS, The Right Hon. C. P.— Free Trade Speeches of.
With Political Memoir. Edited by a Member of the Cobden
Club. 2 vols. With Portrait. Demy 8vo, 25.?.
%* People's Edition. 1 vol. Crown 8vo, limp cloth, 2s. 6d.

VOGT, Lieut. -Col. Hermann.— -The Egyptian War of 1882.
A translation. With Map and Plans. Large crown 8vo, 6s.

VOLCKXSOM, E. W. v.— Catechism of Elementary Modern
Chemistry. Small crown 8vo, y.

WALLER, Rev. C. B. — The Apocalypse, reviewed under the Light
of the Doctrine of the Unfolding Ages, and the Restitution of All
Things. Demy 8vo, 12s.

The Bible Record of Creation viewed in its Letter and Spirit-
Two Sermons preached at St. Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge.
Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

WALPOLE, Chas. George.— A Short History of Ireland from the
Earliest Times to the Union with Great Britain.
With 5 Maps and Appendices. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

WARD, Wilfrid. — The .Wish to Believe, A Discussion Concern-
ing the Temper of Mind in which a reasonable Man should
undertake Religious Inquiry. Small crown 8vo, «pr.

WARD, William George, Ph.D.— Essays on the Philosophy of
Theism. Edited, with an Introduction, by Wilfrid Ward.
2 vols. Demy 8vo, 2\s.

WARTER, J. W.—&r\ Old Shropshire Oak. 2 vols. Demy 8vo,
28J.

WEDMORE, Frederick.— The Masters of Genre Painting. With
Sixteen Illustrations. Post 8vo, fs, 6d.

WHITE, Rev. H. C— Reform of the Church Establishment ;

The Nation's Rights and Needs. Crown 8vo, 4^. 6d,

WHITMAN, Sidney.— Conventional Cant : its Results and Remedy.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

WHITNEY, Prof. William Dwigkt. , — Essentials of English
Grammar, for the Use of Schools. Second Edition. Crown
8vo, 3s. 6d.

Regan Patd, Trench & Co.ys Publications. 31

WHIT WORTH, George Clifford.— An Anglo-Indian Dictionary :
a Glossary of Indian Terms used in English, and of such English
or other Non-Indian Terms as have obtained special meanings in
India. Demy 8vo, cloth, 12s.

WILLIAMS, Rowland, D.D.— Psalms, Litanies, Counsels, and
Collects for Devout Persons. Edited by his Widow. New
and Popular Edition. Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

Stray Thoughts from the Note Books of the late
Rowland Williams, D.D. Edited by his Widow. Crown
8vo, 3-r. 6d.

WILSON, Lieut. -Col. C. T. — The Duke of Berwick, Marshal
of France, 1702-1734. Demy 8vo, i$s.

WILSON, Mrs. R. F.— The Christian Brothers. Their Origin and
Work. With a Sketch of the Life of their Founder, the Ven.
Jean Baptiste, de la Salle. Crown 8vo, 6s.

WOLTMANN, Dr. Alfred, and WOERMANN, Dr. Karl.— History
of Painting. With numerous Illustrations. Medium 8vo.
Vol. I. Painting in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. 28j. ;
bevelled boards, gilt leaves, 30^. Vol. II. The Painting of the
Renascence. 42J. ; bevelled boards, gilt leaves, 45^.

YOUMANS, Edward L., M.D.—K Class Book of Chemistry, on
the Basis of the New System. With 200 Illustrations. Crown
8vo, 5-r.

YOUMANS, Eliza A.— First Book of Botany. Designed to
Cultivate the Observing Powers of Children. With 300
Engravings. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SERIES.

I. Forms of "Water : a Familiar Exposition of the Origin and

Phenomena of Glaciers. By J. Tyndall, LL.D., F.R.S. With
25 Illustrations. Ninth Edition. $s.

II. Physics and Politics ; or, Thoughts on the Application of the

Principles of "Natural Selection " and " Inheritance " to Political
Society. By Walter Bagehot. Eighth Edition. 4s.

III. Foods. By Edward Smith, M.D., LL.B., F.R.S. With numerous

Illustrations. Ninth Edition. 5*.

IV. Mind and Body : the Theories of their Relation. By Alexander

Bain, LL.D. With Four Illustrations. Seventh Edition. 4*.

V. The Study of Sociology. By Herbert Spencer. Twelfth

Edition. 5.?.

32 A List of

VI. On the Conservation of Energy. By Balfour Stewart, M.A.

LL.D., F.R.S. With 14 Illustrations. Sixth Edition. 5*. .

VII. Animal Locomotion *, or Walking, Swimming, and Flying. By

J. B. Pettigrew, M.D., F.R.S., etc. With 130 Illustrations.
Third Edition. $&

VIII. Responsibility in Mental Disease. By Henry Maudsley,

M.D. Fourth Edition. $s.

IX. The New Chemistry. By Professor J. P. Cooke. With 31

Illustrations. Eighth Edition. 5*.

X. The Science of Law. By Professor Sheldon Amos. Sixth Edition.

XI. Animal Mechanism : a Treatise on Terrestrial and Aerial Loco-

motion. By Professor E. J. Marey. With 117 Illustrations.
Third Edition. 5*;

XII. The Doctrine of Descent and Darwinism. By Professor

Oscar Schmidt. With 26 Illustrations. Seventh Edition. 5*>

XIII. The History of the Conflict between Religion and

Science. By J. W. Draper, M.D., LL.D. Nineteenth Edition.

XIV. Fungi : their Nature, Influences, Uses, etc. By M. C. Cooke,

M.D., LL.D. Edited by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, M.A., F.L.S.
With numerous Illustrations. Third Edition, jr.

XV. The Chemical Effects of Light and Photography. By

Dr. Hermann Vogel. With 100 Illustrations. Fourth Edition.

XVI. The Life and Growth of Language. By Professor William

Dwight Whitney. Fifth Edition. 5*.

XVII. Money and the Mechanism of Exchange. By W.

Stanley Jevons, M. A., F.R.S. Eighth Edition. Jr.

XVIII. The Nature of Light. With a General Account of Physical
Optics. By Dr. Eugene Lommel. With 188 Illustrations and a
Table of Spectra in Chromo -lithography. Fourth Edition. 5*.

XIX. Animal Parasites and Messmates. By P. J. Van Beneden.

With 83 Illustrations. Third Edition. $s.

XX. Fermentation. By Professor Schutzenberger. With 28 Illus-

trations. Fourth Edition. $s.

XXI. The Five Senses of Man. By Professor Bernstein. With

91 Illustrations. Fifth Edition. $s.

XXII. The Theory of Sound in its Relation to Music. By Pro-

fessor Pietro Blaserna. With numerous Illustrations. Third
Edition. $s.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 33,

XXIII. Studies in Spectrum Analysis. By J. Norman Lockyer.
F.R.S. With six photographic Illustrations of Spectra, and
numerous engravings on Wood. Third Edition. 6s. 6d.

XXIV. A History of the Growth of the Steam Engine. By

Professor R. H. Thurston. With numerous Illustrations. Third
Edition. 6s. 6d.

XXV. Education as a Science. By Alexander Bain, LL.D. Sixth.

Edition. $s.

XXVI. The Human Species. By Professor A. de Quatrefages. Fourth

Edition. $s.

XXVII. Modern Chromatics. With Applications to Art and In-
dustry. By Ogden N. Rood. With 130 original Illustrations.
Second Edition. 5^.

XXVIII. The Crayfish : an Introduction to the Study of Zoology. By
Professor T. H. Huxley. With 82 Illustrations. Fourth Edition..
5*

XXIX. The Brain as an Organ of Mind. By H. Charlton Bastian„
M.D. With numerous Illustrations. Third Edition. $s.

XXX. The Atomic Theory. By Prof. Wurtz. Translated by G.

Cleminshaw, F.C.S. Fourth Edition. $s.

XXXI. The Natural Conditions of Existence as they affect
Animal Life. By Karl Semper. With 2 Maps and 106.
Woodcuts. Third Edition. $s.

XXXII. General Physiology of Muscles and Nerves. By Prof*.
J. Rosenthal. Third Edition. With Illustrations. 5-r.

XXXIII. Sight : an_ Exposition of the Principles of Monocular and:
Binocular Vision. By Joseph le Conte, LL.D. Second Edition..
With 132 Illustrations. 5*.

XXXIV. Illusions : a Psychological Study. By James Sully. Second
Edition. $s.

XXXV. Volcanoes : what they are and what they teach..
By Professor J. W. Judd, F.R.S. With 92 Illustrations on.
Wood. Third Edition. 5^.

XXXVI. Suicide : an Essay on Comparative Moral Statistics. By Prof..
H. Morselli. Second Edition. With Diagrams. Jr.

XXXVII. The Brain and its Functions. By J. Luys. With

Illustrations. Second Edition. Ji.

XXXVIII. Myth and Science : an Essay. By Tito Vignoli. Third
Edition. 5s.

XXXIX. The Sun. By Professor Young. With Illustrations. Second
Edition. $s.

D

34 A List of

XL. Ants, Bees, and Wasps : a Record of Observations on the
Habits of the Social Hymenoptera. By Sir John Lubbock, Bart.,
M.P. With 5 Chromo-lithographic Illustrations. Eighth Edition.

XLI. Animal Intelligence. By G. J. Romanes, LL.D., F.R.S.

Fourth Edition. $s.

XLII. The Concepts and Theories of Modern Physics. By
J. B. Stallo. Third Edition. $s.

XLIII. Diseases of the Memory ; An Essay in the Positive Psycho-
logy. By Prof. Th. Ribot. Third Edition. 5*.

XLIV. Man before Metals. By N. Joly, with 148 Illustrations.
Third Edition. $s.

XLV. The Science of Politics. By Prof. Sheldon Amos. Third

Edition. $s.

:XLVI. Elementary Meteorology. By Robert H. Scott. Fourth
Edition. With Numerous Illustrations. $s.

XLVII. The Organs of Speech and their Application in the
Formation of Articulate Sounds. By Georg Hermann
Von Meyer. With 47 Woodcuts. 5s.

XLVIII. Fallacies. A View of Logic from the Practical Side. By
Alfred Sidgwick. 5-r.

XLIX. Origin of Cultivated Plants. By Alphonse de Candolle.

L. Jelly-Fish, Star-Fish, and Sea-Urchins. Being a Research
on Primitive Nervous Systems. By G. J. Romanes. With
Illustrations. $s.

LI. The Common Sense of the Exact Sciences. By the late
William Kingdon Clifford. Second Edition. With 100 Figures.

LIE Physical Expression : Its Modes and Principles. By
Francis Warner, M.D., F.R.C.P. With 50 Illustrations. $s.

XIII. Anthropoid Apes. By Robert Hartmann. With 63 Illustra-

tions. 5.?.

XIV. The Mammalia in their Relation to Primeval Times.

By Oscar Schmidt. With 51 Woodcuts. 5s.

LV. Comparative Literature. By H. Macaulay Posnett, LL.D. $s.

XVI. Earthquakes and other Earth Movements. By Prof.

John Milne. With 38 Figures. $s.

XVII. Microbes, Ferments, and Moulds. By E. L. Trouessart.

With 107 Illustrations. $s.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 35.

LVIII. Geographical and Geological Distribution of Animals.
By Professor A. Heilprin. With Frontispiece. $s.

LIX. Materials for a Code of International Law. By Professor
Leone Levi.

LX. The Weather. By the Hon. Ralph Abercromby. With numer-
ous Illustrations. [In the Press,

MILITARY WORKS.

BRACKENBURY, Col C. B., R. A. — Military Handbooks for
Regimental Officers.

I. Military Sketching and Reconnaissance. By Col.
F. J. Hutchison and Major H. G. MacGregor. Fifth
Edition. With 15 Plates. Small crown 8vo, 4s.

II. The Elements of Modern Tactics Practically
applied to English Formations. By Lieut. -Col.
Wilkinson Shaw. Fifth Edition. With 25 Plates and
Maps. Small crown 8vo, gs.

III. Field Artillery. Its Equipment, Organization and Tactics.

By Major Sisson C. Pratt, R.A. With 12 Plates. Second
Edition. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

IV. The Elements of Military Administration. First

Part : Permanent System of Administration. By Major
J. W. Buxton. Small crown 8vo, 'js. 6d.

V. Military Law : Its Procedure and Practice. By Major

Sisson C. Pratt, R.A. Third Edition. Small crown 8vo,
4^. 6d.

VI. Cavalry in Modern War. By Col. F. Chenevix Trench.

Small crown 8vo, 6s.

VII. Field Works. Their Technical Construction and Tactical

Application. By the Editor, Col. C. B. Brackenbury, R.A.
Small crown 8vo.

BRENT, Brig.-Gen. J. L— Mobilizable Fortifications and their
Controlling Influence in War, Crown 8vo, $s.

BROOKE, Major, C. A'.— A System of Field Training. Small
crown 8vo, cloth limp, 2s.

Campaign of Fredericksburg, November— December, 1862.
A Study for Officers of Volunteers. With 5 Maps and Plans.
Crown 8vo, $s.

CLERY, C, Lieut. -Col— Minor Tactics. With 26 Maps and Plan:.
Seventh Edition, Revised. Crown 8vo, gs.

COLVILE, Lieut. Col C. ^.—Military Tribunals. Sewed, 2s. 6d»

36 A List of

■CRAUFURD, Capt. H. J.— Suggestions for the Military Train-
ing of a Company of Infantry. Crown 8vo, is. 6d.

HAMILTON, Capt. Ian, A. B.C.— The Fighting of the Future, is.

HARRISON, Col. R.— The Officer's Memorandum Book for
Peace and "War. Fourth Edition, Revised throughout.
Oblong 32mo, red basil, with pencil, 3J. 6d.

Notes on Cavalry Tactics, Organisation, etc. By a Cavalry
Officer. "With Diagrams. Demy 8vo, 12s.

TARR, Capt. H. Hallam, CM. G.— The Dress, Horses, and
Equipment of Infantry and Staff Officers. Crown
8vo, is.

SCHAW, Col. H.—Tlcie Defence and Attack of Positions and

Localities. Third Edition, Revised and Corrected. Crown

8vo, 2s- 6d-
STONE, Capt. F. Gleadowe, R.A.— Tactical Studies from the

Franco-German War of 1870-71. With 22 Lithographic

Sketches and Maps. Demy 8vo, 30J.

WILKINSON, H. Spenser, Capt. 20th Lancashire R. V. — Citizen
Soldiers. Essays towards the Improvement of the Volunteer
Force. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

POETRY.

^ADAM OF ST. VICTOR.— The Liturgical Poetry of Adam of
St. Victor. From the text of Gautier. With Translations into
English in the Original Metres, and Short Explanatory Notes,
by Digby S. Wrangham, M.A. 3 vols. Crown 8vo, printed
on hand-made paper, boards, 21s.

ALEXANDER, William, D.D., Bishop of Derry.— -St. Augustine's
Holiday, and other Poems. Crown 8vo, 6s.

AUCHMUTY, A. C— Poems of English Heroism : From Brunan-
burh to Lucknow ; from Athelstan to Albert. Small crown 8vo,
is. 6d.

BARNES, William.— Poems of Rural Life, in the Dorset
Dialect. New Edition, complete in one vol. Crown 8vo,
Ss. 6d.

JBAYNES, Rev. Canon H. R.— Home Songs for Quiet Hours.

Fourth and Cheaper Edition. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 2s. bd.

BEVINGTON, L. S.— Key Notes. Small crown 8vo, 5-r.

BLUNT, Wilfrid Scawen. — TYie Wind and the Whirlwind.
Demy 8vo, is. 6d.

The Love Sonnets of Proteus. Fifth Edition, i8mo. Cloth
extra, gilt top, 5s.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co!s Publications. 37-

BOWEN, H. C, M.A.— Simple English Poems. English Literature
for Junior Classes. In Four Parts. Parts I., II., and III., 6d.
each, and Part IV., is. Complete, 3s.

BRYANT, W. C— Poems. Cheap Edition, with Frontispiece. Small
crown 8vo, 3-r. 6d>

Calderon's Dramas: the Wonder- Working Magician — Life is a.
Dream — the Purgatory of St. Patrick. Translated by Denis
Florence MacCarthy. Post 8vo, 10s.

Camoens Lusiads. — Portuguese Text, with Translation by J. J.
Aubertin. Second Edition. 2 vols. Crown 8vo, 12s.

CAMPBELL, Lewis.— Sophocles. The Seven Plays in English Verse.
Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

CER VANTES.— Journey to Parnassus. Spanish Text, with Trans •
lation into English Tercets, Preface, and Illustrative Notes, by
James Y. Gibson. Crown 8vo, 12s.

Numantia : a Tragedy. Translated from the Spanish, with
Introduction and Notes, by James Y. Gibson. Crown 8vo,,
printed on hand-made paper, $s.

Chronicles of Christopher Columbus. A Poem in 12 Cantos
By M. D. C. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

CLARKE, Mary Cowden. — Honey from the 'Weed. Verses.
Crown 8vo, Js.

COCKLE, Mrs. Moss. — Fantasias. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

COXHEAD, Ethel.— Birds and Babies. With 33 Illustrations.
Imp. i6mo, gilt, 2s. 6d.

Dante's Divina Commedia. Translated in the Tcrza Rima of
Original, by F. K. H. Haselfoot. Demy 8vo, i6.r.

DE BERANGER.—K Selection from his Songs. In English
Verse. By William Toynbee. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

DENNLS, J. — English Sonnets. Collected and Arranged by. Small.
crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

DENT, Mrs. William. — Ceylon ; A Descriptive Poem with Notes,
Small crown 8vo, is. 6d.

DE VERE, Aubrey.— Poetical Works.

I. The Search after Proserpine, etc. 6s,
II. The Legends of St. Patrick, etc. 6s.
III. Alexander the Great, etc. bs.

The Foray of Queen Meave, and other Legends of Ireland's,
Heroic Age. Small crown 8vo, $s.

.Legends of the Saxon Saints. Small crown 8vo, 6s.

d 3

38 A List of

DILLON, Arthur.— Gods and Men. Fcap. 4to, ys. 6d.

DOB SON, Austin.— Old "World Idylls and other Verses. Sixth
Edition. Elzevir 8vo, gilt top, 6s.

At the Sign of the Lyre. Fourth Edition. Elzevir 8vo, gilt
top, 6s.

DOMETT, Alfred.— Ranolf and Amohia. A Dream of Two Lives.
New Edition, Revised. 2 vols. Crown 8vo, I2j.

Dorothy : a Country Story in Elegiac Verse. With Preface. Demy
8vo, 5-r.

DOWDEN, Edward, LL.D. — Shakspere's Sonnets. With Intro-
duction and Notes. Large post 8vo, Js. 6d.

DUTT, Toru.—A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields. New Edition.
Demy 8vo, ioj. 6d.

Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan. With an
Introductory Memoir by Edmund Gosse. Second Edition,
l8mo. Cloth extra, gilt top, $s.

EDWARDS, Miss Betham.— Poems. Small crown 8vo, 3*. 6d.

ELDRYTH, Maud.—Ma.vga.Tet, and other Poems. Small crown 8vo,
3*. 6d.

All Soul's Eve, "No God," and other Poems. Fcap. 8vo,
3*. 6d.

ELLIOTT, Ebenezer, The Corn Law Rhymer.— Poems. Edited by his
son, the Rev. Edwin Elliott, of St. John's, Antigua. 2 vols.
Crown 8vo, iSs.

English Verse. Edited by W. J. Linton and R. H, Stoddard.
5 vols. Crown 8vo, cloth, $s. each.
I. Chaucer to Burns.
II. Translations.

III. Lyrics of the Nineteenth Century.

IV. Dramatic Scenes and Characters.
V. Ballads and Romances.

EVANS, Anne.— Poems and Music. With Memorial Preface by
Ann Thackeray Ritchie. Large crown 8vo, js.

EOSKETT, Edward.— Poems. Crown 8vo, 6s.

GOODCHILD, John A. — Somnia Medici. Two series. Small crown
8vo, 5 j. each.

GOSSE, Edmund W.— New Poems. Crown 8vo, fs. 6d.

Firdausi in Exile, and other Poems. Elzevir 8vo, gilt top, 6s.

GURNEY, Rev. Alfred.— The Vision of the Eucharist, and other
Poems. Crown 8vo, $s;

A Christmas Faggot. Small crown 8vo, $y.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co!s Publications. 39

HARRISON, Clifford.— -In Hours of Leisure. Crown 8vo, $A

HEYWOOD, J. C— Herodias, a Dramatic Poem. New Edition,
Revised. Small crown 8vo, 5j.

Antonius. A Dramatic Poem. New Edition, Revised. Small
crown 8vo, 5s.

HICKEY, E. H. — A Sculptor, and other Poems. Small crown
8vo, p.

HOLE, W. G. — Procris, and other Poems. Fcap. 8vo, p. 6d.

KEATS, John. — Poetical Works. Edited by W. T. Arnold. Large
crown 8vo, choicely printed on hand-made paper, with Portrait
in eau-forte. Parchment or cloth, \2s. ; vellum, \\s.

KING, Mrs. Hamilton. — The Disciples. Eighth Edition, and Notes.
Small crown 8vo, $s.

A Book of Dreams. Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

LANG, A.— XXXII Ballades in Blue China. Elzevir 8vo, Jr.

Rhymes a. la Mode. With Frontispiece by E. A. Abbey.
Elzevir 8vo, cloth extra, gilt top, $s.

LASCELLES, John.— Golden Fetters, and other Poems. Small
crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

LAWSON, Right Hon. Mr. >j//«.-Hymni Usitati Latine
Redditi : with other Verses. Small 8vo, parchment, $s.

Living English Poets MDCCCLXXXII. With Frontispiece by
Walter Crane. Second Edition. Large crown 8vo. Printed on
hand-made paper. Parchment or cloth, \2s. ; vellum, 15J.

LOCKER, ^.—London Lyrics. Tenth Edition. With Portrait,
Elzevir 8vo. Cloth extra, gilt top, $s.

Love in Idleness. A Volume of Poems. With an Etching by W. B.
Scott. Small crown 8vo, $s.

LUMSDEN, Lieut.- Col. H. ^.—Beowulf: an Old English Poem.
Translated into Modern Rhymes. Second and Revised Edition.
Small crown 8vo, $s.

LYSAGHT, Sidney Royse.—A Modern Ideal. A Dramatic Poem.
Small crc.;^n 8vo, $s.

MAGNC7SS0N, Eirikr, M.A., and PALMER, E. H, M.A.—Johan
Ludvig Runeberg's Lyrical Songs, Idylls, and Epi-
grams. Fcap. 8vo, 5 s.

MEREDITH, Owen [The Earl of Lytton].— Lucile. New Edition.
With 32 Illustrations. i6mo, 3s. 6d. Cloth extra, gilt edges,
4s. 6d.

40 A List of

MORRIS, Lewis. — Poetical Works of. New and Cheaper Editions,

with Portrait. Complete in 3 vols., $s. each.
Vol. I. contains "Songs of Two Worlds." Twelfth Edition.
Vol. II. contains " The Epic of Hades." Twenty-first Edition.
Vol. III. contains "Gwen" and "The Ode of Life." Seventh

Edition.
Songs of Britain. Fcap. 8vo, $s.

Gycia. A Tragedy in Five Acts. Third Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 5^.
Songs Unsung. Fifth Edition. Fcap. 8vo, $s.

The Kpic of Hades. With 16 Autotype Illustrations, after the
Drawings of the late George R. Chapman. 4to, cloth extra, gilt
leaves, 21s.

The Kpic of Hades. Presentation Edition. 4to, cloth extra,
gilt leaves, 10s. 6d.

The Lewis Morris Birthday Book. Edited by S. S. Cope-
man, with Frontispiece after a Design by the late George R.
Chapman. 321210, cloth extra, gilt edges, is. ; cloth limp, I*. 6d.

MORSBEAD, E. D. A. — The House of Atreus. Being the
Agamemnon, Libation-Bearers, and Furies of yEschylus. Trans-
lated into English Verse. Crown 8vo, p.
The Suppliant Maidens of ./Eschylus. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

MOZLEY, J. Richards. — The Romance of Dennell. A Poem in
Five Cantos. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

MULHOLLAND, Rosa.— Vagrant Verses. Small crown 8vo, Jr.

NOEL, The Hon. Roden. — A Little Child's Monument. Third
Edition. Small crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
The House of Ravensburg. New Edition. Small crown

8vo, 6s.
The Red Flag, and other Poems. New Edition. Small crown

8vo, 6s.
Songs of the Heights and Deeps. Crown 8vo, 6s.
O'BRIEN, Charlotte Grace.— Lyrics. Small crown 8vo, y. 6d.
O? HAG AN, John.— The Song of Roland. Translated into English

Verse. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 5*.
Passages from some Journals, and other Poems. By M. D. C.

Small crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
PFEIFFER, Emty.—The Rhyme of the Lady of the Rock,
and How it Grew. Second Edition. Small crown 8vo,
35. 6d.
Gerard's Monument, and other Poems. Second Edition.

Crown 8vo, 6s.
Under the Aspens : Lyrical and Dramatic. With Portrait.
Crown 8vo, 6s.

Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.'s Publications. 41

PIATT, J. 7— Idyls and Lyrics of the Ohio Valley. Crown
8vo, $s.

PIATT, Sarah M. B.—K Voyage to the Fortunate Isles, and
other Poems. I vol. Small crown 8vo, gilt top, 5^.
In Primrose Time. A New Irish Garland. Small crown 8vo,
2s. 6d.

PREVOST, Francis.— Melilot. $r. 6d.

Rare Poems of 'the 16th and 17th Centuries. Edited by W. J.

Linton. Crown 8vo, $s.
RIIOADES, James.— The Georgics of Virgil. Translated into
English Verse. Small crown 8vo, 5-r.
Poems. Small crown 8vo, 4-f. 6d.
Dux Redux. A Forest Tangle. Small crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

ROBINSON, A. Mary P.— A Handful of Honeysuckle. Fcap.

8vo, 3s. 6d.
The Crowned Hippolytus. Translated from Euripides. With

New Poems. Small crown 8vo, $s.
SCHILLER, Friedrich. — Wallenstein. A Drama. Done in English

Verse, by J. A. W. Hunter, M.A. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

SCHWARTZ, J. M. W.— Nivalis. A Tragedy in Five Acts. Small

crown 8vo, $s.
SCOTT, E.J. L.— The Eclogues of Virgil.— Translated into English

Verse. Small crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.

SHERBROOKE, Viscoztnt.—Voems of a Life. Second Edition
Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

SINCLAIR, Julian. — Nakiketas, and other Poems. Small crown

8vo, 2s. 6d.
SMITH, J. W. Gilbart.—TYie Loves of Vandyck. A Tale of Genoa.
Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.
The Log o' the "Norseman." Small crown 8vo, 5-$-.
Serbelloni. Small crown 8vo, 5-r.

Sopliocles ", The Seven Plays in English Verse. Translated by Lewis
Campbell. Crown 8vo, Js. 6d.

SYMONDS, John Addington.— Vagabunduli Libellus. Crown
8vo, 6s.

Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered. Translated by Sir John Kingston
James, Bart. Two Volumes. Printed on hand-made paper,
parchment, bevelled boards. Large crown 8vo, 21s.

TAYLOR, Sir H.— Works. Complete in Five Volumes. Crown
8vo, 30X.
Philip Van Artevelde. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.
The Virgin Widow, etc. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.
The Statesman. Fcap. 8vo, 3s. 6d.

42 A List of

Three Lyrical Dramas ", Sintram ; The Friends of Syracuse ;
The Lady of Kynast. By M. D. C. Small crown 8vor
3-r. 6d.

TODHUNTER, Dr. J.— Laurella, and other Poems. Crown 8vo,
6s. 6d.
Forest Songs. Small crown 8vo, y. 6d.
The True Tragedy of Rienzi : a Drama. 3s. 6d.
Alcestis : a Dramatic Poem. Extra fcap. 8vo, $s.
Helena in Troas. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

TYNAN, Katherine. — Louise de la Valliere, and other Poems,
Small crown 8vo, 3s. bd. ,

WEBSTER, Augusta. — In a Day ". a Drama. Small crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.
Disguises : a Drama. Small crown 8vo, $s.

Wordsworth Birthday Book, The. Edited by Adelaide and
Violet Wordsworth. 32mo, limp cloth, is. 6d. ; cloth extra, 2s.

YOUNGS, Ella Sharpe. — Paphus, and other Poems. Small crown 8vo,
3-r. 6d.
A Heart's Life, Sarpedon, and other Poems. Small crown
8vo, 3j. 6d.

NOVELS AND TALES.

"All But : " a Chronicle of Laxenford Life. By Pen Oliver, F.R.C.S.
With 20 Illustrations. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

BANJOS, Mrs. G. Z.— God's Providence House. New Edition.

Crown 8vo, 3J. 6d.
CHICHELE, Mary.— "Doing and Undoing. A Story. Crown 8vo,

4-y. 6d.
Danish Parsonage. By an Angler. Crown 8vo, 6s.

GRAY, Maxzvell.— -The Silence of Dean Maitland. Fourth
Edition. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

HUNTER, Hay.— The Crime of Christmas Day. A Tale of the

Latin Quarter. By the Author of "My Ducats and my

Daughter." is.
HUNTER, Nay, and WHYTE, Walter.— My Ducats and My

Daughter. New and Cheaper Edition. With Frontispiece.

Crown 8vo, 6s.
INGELOW, Jean.— Off the Skelligs : a Novel. With Frontispiece.

Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
JENKINS, Edward— & Secret of Two Lives. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d.

KIELLAND, Alexander L. — Garman and Worse. A Norwegian
Novel. Authorized Translation, by W. W. Kettlewell. Crown
8vo, 6s.

Kegan Paul, Trmck & Co!s Publications. 43

LANG, Andrew. — In the "Wrong Paradise, and other Stones,
Second Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

MACDONALD, G— Donal Grant. A Novel. Second Edition

With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Castle Warlock. A Novel. Second Edition. With Frontis

piece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Malcolm. With Portrait of the Author engraved' on Steel

Eighth Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.
The Marquis of Lossie. Sixth Edition. With Frontispiece,

Crown 8vo, 6s.
St. George and St. Michael. Fifth Edition. With Frontis

piece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
What's Mine's Mine. Second Edition. With Frontispiece

Crown 8vo, 6s.
Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood. Sixth Edition. With

Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
The Seaboard Parish : a Sequel to "Annals of a Quiet Neigh

bourhood." Fourth Edition. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s
"Wilfred Cumbermede. An Autobiographical Story. Fourth

Edition. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Thomas Wingfold, Curate. Fourth Edition. With Frontis

piece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Paul Faber, Surgeon. Fourth Edition. With Frontispiece
Crown 8vo, 6s.

MA LET, Lucas. — Colonel Knderby's Wife. A Novel. New and
Cheaper Edition. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

MULHOLLAND, Rosa.— Marcella Grace. An Irish Novel. Crown

8vo, 6s.
PALGRAVE, W. C^.-Hermann Agha : an Eastern Narrative.

Third Edition. Crown 8vo, 6s.

SHA W, Flora L.— Castle Blair ; a Story of Youthful Days. New and
Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, ^s. 6d.

STRETTON, Hesba.— Through a Needle's Kye : a Story. New
and Cheaper Edition, with Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

TAYLOR, Col. Meadozvs, C.S.L, MR.LA.—Seeta.'. a Novel. With
Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

Tippoo Sultaun : a Tale of the Mysore War. With Frontispiece.

Crown 8vo, 6s.
Ralph Darnell. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
A Noble Queen. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
The Confessions of a Thug. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Tara : a Mahratta Tale. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.
Within Sound of the Sea. With Frontispiece. Crown 8vo, 6s.

44 A List of Kegan Paid, Trench & Co.'s Publications.

BOOKS FOR THE YOUNG.

Brave Men's Footsteps. A Book of Example and Anecdote for
Young People. By the Editor of "Men who have .Risen." With
4 Illustrations by C. Doyle. Eighth Edition. Crown 8vo, -$s. 6d.

COXHEAD, Ethel.— Birds and Babies. With 33 Illustrations.
Imp. i6mo, cloth gilt, 2s. bd.

DA VIES, G. Christopher. — Rambles and Adventures of our
School Field Club. With 4 Illustrations. New and Cheaper
Edition. Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

EDMONDS, Herbert.— W 'ell Spent Lives : a Series of Modern Bio-
graphies. New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

EVANS, Marh.—Tlae Story of our Father's Love, told to Children.
Sixth and Cheaper Edition of Theology for Children. With 4,
Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo, is. 6d.

MAC KENNA, S. y.— Plucky Fellows. A Book for Boys. With
6 Illustrations. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, 3-r. 6d.

REANEY, Mrs. G. 6*.— Waking and Working ; or, From Girlhood
to Womanhood. New and Cheaper Edition. With a Frontis-
piece. Crown 8vo, 3.?. 6d.

Blessing and Blessed : a Sketch of Girl Life. New and
Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo, 3^. 6d.

Rose Gurney's Discovery. A Story for Girls. Dedicated to
their Mothers. Crown 8vo, 3J. 6d.

English Girls : Their Place and Power. With Preface by the
Rev. R. W. Dale. Fifth Edition. Fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d.

Just Anyone, and other Stories. Three Illustrations. Royal
i6mo, is. 6d.

Sunbeam Willie, and other Stories. Three Illustrations. Royal
i6mo, is. 6d.

Sunshine Jenny, and other Stories. Three Illustrations. Royal
i6mo, is. 6d.

STORR, Francis, and TURNER, Halves.— Canterbury Chimes.;
or, Chaucer Tales re-told to Children. With 6 Illustrations from
the Ellesmere Manuscript. Third Edition. Fcap. 8vo, y. 6d.

STRETTON, Hesba.— David Lloyd's Last Will. With 4 Illustra-
tions. New Edition. Royal 161110, 2s. 6d.

WHITAKER, Florence.— Christy's Inheritance. A London Story.
Illustrated. Royal i6mo, is. 6d.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES~

RETURN TO the circulation desk of any
University of California Library
or to the
NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station
University of California
Richmond, CA 94804-4698

ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS

• 2-month loans may be renewed by calling
(510)642-6753

• 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing
books to NRLF

• Renewals and recharges may be made 4
days prior to due date.

DUE AS STAMPED BELOW

12,000(11/95)

669782

. fit. ..

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY